CHARLES   LINCOU 


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Frederick   Young 


A 
NOVEL 


By 

CHARLES 
LINCOLN 
PHILLIPS 

» 
Illustrated 


Boston    -^     -^      Henry  A. 
Dickerman  &  Son  Publishers 


Copyright,   1900, 
by  Charles  Lincoln  Phillips. 

Copyright,  1901, 
by  Henry  A.  Dickerman  &  Son, 


First  impression,  May,  1901. 
Second  impression,  June,  1901. 


^Plimpton  i^rns 

H.  M,  PLrMPTON  ^b  CO.,  PRINTERS  A  BINDER*, 
NORWOOD,  MASS.,  U.I.A. 


fJiC'^-IOl^faO 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Toung,  Clark  &  Co. — An  earnest  conversation — The  Aus- 
tralian office  needs  personal  supervision — Who  shall  we 
send  to  Melbourne? — None  of  the  naembers  of  the  firm 
want  to  go — Why  not  send  Fred? — An  excellent  open- 
ing for  him — Marion — Should  the  young  lovers  be 
parted  for  two  or  more  years? 1-5 

CHAPTEE    II. 

Mr.  Young's  up-town  residence — In  the  library — Father 
and  son  have  an  interview — A  generous  offer — I  think  I 
shall  accept — Must  start  by  December  1,  1878 — What 
route  to  take  to  the  Antipodes — Via  San  Francisco, 
Honolulu,  Auckland,  and  Sidney  to  Melbourne — Fred 
wishes  to  break  the  news  to  Marion 6-10 

CHAPTER   III. 

Fred  presents  himself  at  the  Stillman  mansion — Important 
news — I  am  going  to  Australia — Marion  sorrowful — It 
will  be  for  the  best,  and  the  time  will  soon  pass  away — 
A  dangerous  rival — Robert  hates  Fred — Marion  fearful 
that  Robert  will  work  harm 11-13 

.      CHAPTER    rV. 

The  Australian  agent  cables  his  resignation — Fred  departs 
for  San  Francisco — Robert  Clark  makes  himself  obnox- 
ious to  Marion — Marion  speaks  plainly — Robert  is  cool 
and  collected  superficially,  but  angry  within — A  mur- 
derous plan  formulated — Chemistry  and  natural  philo- 
sophy methodically  used  by  the  villain 14-17 


IV  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    V. 

Marion  i^ceives  a  letter  from  Fred,  post-marked  Honolulu, 
Hawaii — A  pleasant  voyage — Semi-tropical  islands — 
Kilauea — Marion  in  better  spirits — Eobert  Clark  con- 
spicuous by  his  absence — ^Another  letter — Fred  arrives 
safely  at  his  destination 18-20 

CHAPTEE    VI. 

Eighteen  months  have  elapsed  since  Fred  v^ent  away — He 
will  sail  for  home  about  February  1,  1881 — Marion 
meets  Eobert  Clark — The  latter  goes  to  Europe — Eob- 
ert in  Egypt — ^Up  the  Nile  to  the  interior  of  Africa — 
Deception — To  Australia  in  disguise — An  assumed 
name — Eivals  meet,  but  only  one  recognizes  the  other.21-25 

CHAPTEE  VII. 
Fred  prepares  to  sail  for  home — ^The  steamship  Polynesia 
— Fred  engages  passage — Eobert  Clark  and  his  infernal 
machine — A  chest  of  dynamite — Eobert  makes  a  doubt- 
ful shipment  on  the  Polynesia — The  villain  allowed  to 
perfect  his  plans 26-32 

CHAPTEE   VIII. 

The  future  looks  bright  and  promising  to  Fred — A  wedding 
in  prospect — Fred  absent  from  New  York  for  over  two 
years — He  longed  to  see  Prince,  his  noble  St.  Bernard 
dog — The  Polynesia  ready  for  sea — The  rivals  again 
meet,  but  Fred  does  not  penetrate  Eobert's  disguise — 
Down  Port  Phillip  Bay — Eobert  leaves  Australia 33-35 

CHAPTEE    IX. 

At  sea — Bass  Strait,  Victoria,  and  Tasmania — North  Cape, 
N.  Z. — Fifteen  hundred  miles  from  Melbourne — Tropi- 
cal islands  and  coral  reefs — Natives — A  new  acquaint- 
ance— An  animated  encyclopedia — Samuel  P.  Ells- 
worth, of  Watertown,  N.  Y. — Melbourne  five  thousand 
miles  astern — ^A  dense  fog — ^A  huge  shark — A  naturalist 
expounds  on  various  subjects — A  terrific  explosion — 


CONTENTS.  V 

Fire — ^The  ship  is  sinking — ^Terror  and  confusion — The 
first  life-boat — The  second  boat  is  made  ready — The 
steamship  sinks  in  mid-ocean — A  sad  catastrophe — Two 
men  at  the  mercy  of  the  waves 36-43 

CHAPTEB   X. 

In  peril — ^A  discovery — On  the  broad  ocean  in  a  small  boat 
— A  disagreeable  night — An  improvised  sailing  craft 
— The  fog  clears  away — No  land  and  not  even  a  sail  in 
sight — Mr.  Ellsworth  talks  on  history  and  science... 44-58 

CHAPTER    XI. 

To  the  southwest — Ancient  history  and  astronomy — ^A 
phosphorescent  sea — The  scientist  explains — Eain  pre 
dieted — ^The  life-boat  in  danger — Fred  discovers  land.59-69 

CHAPTER    XII. 

An  isolated  peak — ^An  unknown  island — A  gale  of  wind  and 
a  turbulent  sea — A  gallant  little  boat — Coral  reefs — 
An  interesting  shore — A  dangerous  barrier  directly 
ahead — A  miraculous  escape — In  a  harbor  of  safety — 
Intense  darkness  and  torrents  of  rain — On  guard — 
— Inhabited  or  uninhabited? — Cocoanuts  in  g^eat 
abundance — Fruit-eating  pigeons  and  eggs — ^A  tropical 
forest — Rocky  foot-hills — Return  to  the  beach — Mys- 
terious disappearance  of  the  life-boat 70-81 

CHAPTER   Xni. 

Castaways  in  trouble — ^A  rough  habitation — Up  the  moun- 
tain— On  the  summit — An  uninhabited  and  solitary  islet 
— An  entrancing  bird's-eye  view — Empire  Island — ^A 
signal — Sylvan  lake — Limestone  cliffs — A  stalactite 
cave;  Aladdin's  discovery  could  not  have  been  more 
beautiful  82-100 

CHAPTER   XrV. 

At  work  on  Mount  Ellsworth — The  construction  of  Cocoa- 
nut  Grove  Cabin — Hunting  and  fishing — Coastwise  ex- 


VI  CONTENTS. 

plorations — Grouse  and  custard-apples — Scientific 
discussions — Flying-foxes — Sulphur-crested  cockatoos 
— Mangoes — Mangrove  forests  —  Bread-fruit  —  Home 
again — Mr.  Ellsworth  takes  observations — Approxi- 
mate latitude  and  longitude  of  Empire  Island — Send- 
ing inscribed  planks  to  sea 101-126 

CHAPTEE  XV. 
News  from  Fred — ^Why  does  he  not  come — Bad  tidings 
received  in  New  York — Marion  very  low  with  an  inter- 
mittent fever — The  months  slip  by  and  nothing  is 
heard  from  Fred — Marion  better — News  from  the  lost 
ship — Mr.  Young  makes  a  suggestion — Captain  Ashton, 
of  Mr.  Young's  private  yacht — The  palatial  Altair — At 
the  pier — The  Youngs  and  Stillmans  depart  for  the 
Southern  Hemisphere — The  shores  of  home  fade  in 
the  distance — Bermuda — Dolphins — Nearing  the  equa- 
tor;   it  is  passed 127-143 

CHAPTEE    XVI. 

Cape  St.  Eoque — Falkland  Islands — A  remarkable  vegetable 
production — Through  the  Magellan  Strait — ^Wonderful 
scenes — Big  game — A  dead  shot — Natives — In  the  Pa- 
cific— ^Valparaiso — Off  for  the  Island  World — Prince 
mystifies  the  voyagers — The  Society  Islands — Pa- 
peete     144-162 

CHAPTEE  XVII. 

The  steamship  Oermania  arrives  from  Europe — ^Eobert 
Clark  one  of  the  passengers — Mother  and  son — Balked 
— Eobert  confused — ^A  diamond  robbery — Detective 
Slocum    163-168 

CHAPTEE   XVIII. 

Empire  Island  again — Mr.  Ellsworth  speculates  on  un- 
known things — Two  remarkable  events — Ignored — Dis- 
appointed Castaways — We  must  act  for  ourselves — A 
practical  mind  to  the  rescue — Hewing  planks  from 
tree  butts — Boat  building — Science  talks 169-186 


CONTENTS.  VU 

CHAPTER   XIX. 

Searching  Tahiti — A  little  comedy — Among  the  Tahitians 
— An  attack — A  narrow  escape — Back  on  shipboard — 
A  big  reward  offered — Atolls — Beautiful,  verdant 
islets   187-204 

CHAPTER   XX. 

The  twenty-pounder  arouses  the  natives — A  night  attack — 
The  Altair  the  scene  of  action — Killed  and  wounded 
■—Where  is  Marion? — Abducted  by  savages — Volunteers 
to  the  rescue — Prince  missing — Prince  is  found — A 
perilous  moment — A  superhuman  intelligence — ^Happi- 
ness reigns  on  the  Altair 205-222 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Cocoanuts  and  luscious  fruits  in  abundance — A  huge  che- 
lonian — Fishing  for  pearls  —  Pitcaim's  Island  —  A 
strange  episode — The  French  captain — Hope — Off  for 
New  Zealand — An  appalling  phenomenon — The  yacht 
roughly  handled  by  Neptune 223-243 

CHAPTER  XXn. 

Auckland — ^Adolphe  Duran — At  sea — ^Napier — To  the  Taupo 
Lake  region — Umbrageous  tracts  of  country — The 
lands  of  ferns — Captain  Ashton  talks  entomology — 
The  Kaimanawha  Mountains — Tongariro — ^The  Kain- 
garoa  Plain — Taupo  Lake 244-262 

CHAPTER  XXm. 

The  rushing  Waikato — Chief  Hemipo — Stalagmite  deposits 
— Geysers  and  sulphur  springs — Fumaroles  and  solfa- 
tars — Mischievous  wekas — Strange  specimens — Orakei- 
Korako — An  entrancing  scene — Reihana's  pah — ^The 
old  chief  himself — Skilled  diplomacy  wins 263-278 

CHAPTER   XXIV. 

Three  strangers — Disappointment — Emancipated  from 
slavery— Treachery  feared— The  natives  thwarted— A 


VUl  CONTENTS. 

violent  electrical  storm — Under  the  cliffs. — An  inter- 
ruption— Eoto  Mahana — The  pink  terraces — Natural 
baths — Nature's  wonders  revealed — Back  to  the  Wai- 
kato   a79-298 

CHAPTER   XXV. 

Another  route  to  Napier — A  large  geyser — An  eruption — 
Fossil  Moas — The  advent  of  a  wild  boar — Surprised 
by  savages — An  exciting  fight — Repeating  rifles  win — 
A  second  alarm — The  Altair  in  sight — Prince  again 
displays  a  remarkable  power — Marion  not  disappointed 
— Auckland  again 299-311 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

At  sea  once  more — Kernaadec  Islands;  the  Hervey  group — 
Noukahiva — Sea  turtle's  eggs — Amusing  visitors — The 
search  formally  declared  at  an  end — Polynesia  left 
astern — Flying-fishes — The  wandering  albatross — In 
the  Bay  of  Valparaiso 312-329 

CHAPTER  XXVn. 

Juan  Fernandez — A  short  visit  to  Robinson  Crusoe's  Island 
— History  in  brief — On  the  heights — Peculiar  vegeta- 
tion— Seals  and  sea-lions — Prince  strangely  excited 
— An  investigation 330-341 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Work  at  Empire  Island — Astronomical  lore — A  new  sun — 
A  wonderful  phenomenon — Is  it  aberration  of  the 
brain? — The  scientist  explains — The  significance  of 
carbon  crystals  in  a  meteorite — Mr.  Ellsworth  lost  by 
his  own  imagination — Fred  puzzled — The  palolo  of 
Polynesia 342-357 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

The  boat  nears  completion — The  Hope;  our  hope — The 
scientist  makes  a  compass — Magnetism  discussed — 
A  new  theory  explained — An  original  idea  advanced 


CONTENTS.  IX 

— Half  a  gale — The  island  trembles — A  cruel  catastro- 
phe— Out  in  the  storra — Circumstances  could  not  have 
been  more  merciless — Despondency — A  strange  sound 
on  Empire  Island — A  welcome  visitor  in  Coral 
Bay   358-378 

CHAPTEE   XXX, 

Supreme  joy — The  lovers,  after  years  of  separation,  meet 
— Prince  the  hero  of  the  hour — Empire  Island  not  on 
the  charts — The  scientist's  reckoning  proved  to  be  sub- 
stantially correct — The  Manatee — A  technical  compari- 
son— Homeward  bound — Castaways  for  two  years — 
The  New  York  Press  comments  on  the  return  of  the 
Altair — A  happy  wedding — A  cable  message  from 
Europe — A  stranger  calls  on  Fred — A  startling  revela- 
tion— ^A  letter  from  Mr.  Ellsworth— The  end 379-401 


FREDERICK   YOUNG. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE     NEW     YORK     OFFICE. 

Within  the  richly  appointed  office  of  Young,  Qark  & 
Co.,  importers  and  wholesale  dealers  in  cotton  and  wool, 
on  a  dismal  day  in  November,  sat  the  three  members  of 
the  firm  in  earnest  conversation.  It  was  one  of  those 
disagreeable  days  when  New  York  city,  the  metropoUs 
of  the  Western  world,  was  enveloped  in  a  cold  fog  which 
had  blown  up  from  the  lower  bay.  Occasional  showers 
of  cold  rain  added  to  the  discomfort  of  those  who  were 
unfortunately  obliged  to  be  abroad.  I  say  obliged  to  be, 
for  surely  if  one  had  any  choice,  he,  on  such  a  day  as  this, 
would  prefer  the  comforts  of  home  to  nature's  hospi- 
tality, which  is  served  out  alike  to  all,  regardless  of  sta- 
tion, wealth  or  potentiality. 

The  rain  spitefully  hurled  itself  against  the  plate-glass 
windows;  sudden  gusts  of  wind  made  the  shutters  rattle; 
water-proof  covered  pedestrians  hurried  restlessly  to 
and  fro ;  huge  umbrellas  constantly  darkened  the'  win- 
dows, but  those  within  anpeared  to  be  unconscious  of  the 
inclemency  without.  And  why  should  it  have  been 
otherwise?  A  cheerful  fire  burned  in  the  grate;  a  com- 
fortable warmth  pervaded  the  apartment ;  the  rich  cherry 
furniture  and  finish  added  a  harmonious  half-tone  to  the 
surroundings,  while  the  heavy  Turkey  carpet  and  the 
comfortably  fashioned,  leather-covered  chairs  in  which 
the  three  gentlemen  were  seated,  completed  a  tout  ensem- 
ble which  those  of  worldly  means  only  can  enjoy. 


2  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

The  senior  partner,  William  C.  Young,  was  a  short, 
portly  gentleman  of  about  sixty  years  of  age.  His  fea- 
tures were  regular  and  very  pronounced;  his  eyes  were 
of  a  clear,  bluish-gray,  while  a  frank  and  genial  expres- 
sion lurked  within  their  depths.  The  heavy  eyebrows 
were  surmounted  by  a  broad  and  full  forehead,  which 
denoted  comprehensiveness,  while  his  hair  and  long,  full 
beard  were  quite  gray,  as  became  a  man  of  his  years. 
Mr.  Young  was  very  thorough  and  just  in  his  business 
transactions;  his  disposition  was  kindly,  and  he  was 
much  esteemed  by  all  who  came  in  social  or  commercial 
contact  with  him. 

Benjamin  T.  Clark  was  forty-seven  years  of  age,  and 
nearly  the  opposite  of  Mr.  Youngs  as  he  was  tall,  slimly 
built,  very  dark  complexioned,  and  had  a  sort  of  distin- 
guished bearing.  By  his  business  colleagues  he  was 
called  handsome.  His  eyes  were  dark  and  piercing; 
his  features  regular,  while  his  jet-black  hair  and  closely 
cropped  beard  were  glossy  and  silky,  and  they  were 
always  brushed  and  trimmed  with  faultless  exactitude. 
In  his  business  dealings  he  was  said  to  be  keen,  but  hon- 
est and  courteous,  and  he  was  generally  liked  both  by 
rivals  in  business  and  by  contemporaries  in  general. 

Allen  E.  Stillman,  who  came  third,  was  the  youngest 
of  the  trio,  being  but  forty-four  years  old.  He  was  tall 
in  stature,  but  rather  Hght  complexioned;  his  hair  in- 
clined to  curl;  his  face  was  cleanly  shaven  and  his  gen- 
eral features  indicated  a  religious  benevolence.  On  the 
whole,  Mr.  Stillman  might  be  called  a  plain  appearing 
gentleman,  but  this  absence  of  superficial  attractiveness 
was  ofifset  by  his  exceptional  conversational  powers. 

All  these  gentlemen  were  wealthy;  in  fact,  their  busi- 
ness, to  be  carried  on  successfully,  required  a  large 
capital. 

Mr.  Young  established  his  first  enterprise  about  thirty 
years  previous  to  the  opening  of  this  narrative.  He 
started  as  a  cotton  broker,  and  by  assiduous  labor  and 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  8 

the  cooperation  of  his  partners,  who  were  taken  into  the 
firm  several  years  later,  he  gradually  built  up  one  of  the 
best  wholesale  houses  on  the  western  continent.  The 
name  of  Young,  Qark  &  Co.  was  universally  known, 
and  by  its  rivals,  even,  was  acknowledged  to  be  integrity 
personified. 

The  Australian  branch  office,  located  at  Melbourne, 
Victoria,  had  for  some  time  been  in  a  state  of  decUne. 
In  fact,  it  lacked  the  vitality  of  personal  management, 
which,  by  the  way,  is  very  essential  to  the  success  of  such 
a  branch.  A  trusted  agent  had  charge  of  the  foreign 
office,  and  he  was  perfectly  honest  and  gave  satisfaction 
as  far  as  his  regular  duties  were  concerned. 

The  members  of  the  firm  had  discussed  this  matter 
jointly,  and  they  had  mutually  agreed  that  more  inter- 
ested supervision  abroad  would  have  a  tendency  to  in- 
crease the  returns  of  the  office  in  question,  at  the  expira- 
tion of  the  fiscal  year. 

The  earnest  conversation  previously  referred  to,  con- 
cerned this  vital  question.  The  enigma  to  be  solved  was: 
"In  whom  shall  we  vest  the  authority  of  reestablisihing 
the  Melbourne  branch  to  its  former  maximum  of  pros- 
perity?" The  interrogative  was  more  easily  propounded 
than  answered.  It  by  rights  ought  to  be  a  member  of 
the  company,  but  which  one? 

Mr.  Young  thought  he  was  too  old  to  make  the 
journey  and  stay  away  from  home  so  long,  and  then,  he 
was  the  bone  and  sinew  of  the  home  office.  His  part- 
ners, even,  agreed  that  Mr.  Young  could  not  be  spared, 
much  to  that  gentleman's  satisfaction. 

Mr.  Clark  objected  to  going  on  the  ground  that  he 
could  not  leave  home  and  his  social  connections  for  two 
years,  which  was  the  time  deemed  necessary  to  live  in 
kangaroo  land.  In  fact,  he  would  much  rather  that 
someone  else  accepted  the  commission. 

"Perhaps  Mr.  Stillman  will  relieve  our  anxiety  by 
grasping  the  opportunity  to  see  this  far-oflf  country.     Re- 


4  FREDERICK    YOUNG 

member,  Mr.  Stillman,  the  adage,  'Opportunity  has  hair 
in  front,  but  is  bald  behind/  and  act  accordingly,"  said 
Mr.  Clark. 

"Many  thanks,  Mr.  Clark,  but  I  must  decline  to  clutch 
opportunity  by  the  forelock  this  time.  My  wife  and  my 
daughter,  Marion,  positively  refuse  to  accompany  me, 
and  I  cannot  leave  them  for  such  an  extended  period. 
I  would  not  mind  if  it  were  for  a  short  time,  but  as  Marion 
says,  'Twenty-four  months;  seven  hundred  and  thirty 
days,  just  think  of  it;  why,  the  idea  is  preposterous!'  " 

It  was  very  evident  that  someone  outside  of  those  di- 
rectly interested  would  have  to  be  sent  to  Melbourne. 
There  were  many  objections  to  doing  this,  but  it  could 
not  be  helped,  for  there  was  no  alternative. 

At  this  juncture  Mr.  Young  said: 

"Gentlemen,  I  suggest  that  we  send  my  son  Fred,  who 
I  think  is  capable  of  conducting  the  business  in  a  manner 
satisfactory  to  all  concerned.  He  has  been  in  our  office 
a  great  deal  during  his  vacations,  and  he  is  well  informed 
regarding  our  routine  business;  he  has  made  an  excel- 
lent record  at  Yale  University,  and  graduated  with  hon- 
ors. This  will  be  a  fine  opening  for  him,  and,  I  think, 
an  advantage  for  us.  It  is  not  my  purpose,  gentlemen, 
to  eulogize  my  son,  and  I  would  not  speak  of  him  in  such 
laudable  terms  to  strangers,  but  you  know  my  boy  nearly 
as  well  as  I  know  him  myself." 

"You  do  quite  right,  Mr.  Young;  your  son  is  a  com- 
mendable young  man  and  I  am  sure  he  would  handle  our 
foreign  affairs  with  ability  and  success,  and  I,  for  my 
part,  approve  of  sending  him,"  responded  Mr.  Stillman. 

"I  also  approve  of  sending  Fred,  for  he  is  a  young  man 
with  whom  we  may  place  our  foreign  business  with  con- 
fidence, but  have  you  conferred  with  him  regarding  this 
matter?"    said  Mr.  Clark. 

"No,  and  I  presume  I  ought  to  have  done  so  before 
broaching  the  subject  here,  but  then,  I  think  he  will  be 
pleased  with  the  offer  and  the  confidence  placed  in  him." 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  5 

"I  can  think  of  but  one  obstacle,"  said  Mr.  Qark. 

"To  what  do  you  refer?"  Mr.  Young  inquired. 

"I  refer  to  the  attachment  existing  between  Marion 
and  Fred,"  replied  Mr.  Clark. 

"Yes,"  reflectively,  "they  think  a  great  deal  of  each 
other,  and  they  may  object  to  being  parted  for  so  long, 
but  they  are  just  from  school  and  too  young  to  marry. 
If  Fred  should  go  they  can  write  each  other  every  mail 
if  they  choose,  and  then  the  two  years  will  soon  pass  "by." 

"Marion  will  take  it  greatly  to  heart,  I  am  sure,"  said 
Mr.  Stillman. 

"No  doubt  but  that  they  both  will,"  said  Mr.  Young, 
"but  I  think  it  will  be  for  the  best  for  Fred  to  go.  I  will 
lay  the  proposition  before  him  this  evening,  and  in  the 
meantime  we  will  let  the  matter  rest." 

Marion  Stillman  and  Frederick  Young  had  been  to- 
gether from  infancy.  The  parents  had  always  been  on 
intimate  terms  and  their  children  had  been  brought  to- 
gether constantly.  Fred  was  Marion's  hero  and  she  was 
his  especial  favorite.  When  playmates  they  avowed  life- 
long constancy  to  each  other,  and  as  the  years  went  by 
the-  juvenile  attachment,  at  maturity,  ripened  into  the 
deepest  and  purest  love. 

Constance,  Fred's  sister,  was  a  pretty  and  lovable  child, 
and  she  had,  at  the  time  we  are  now  considering,  devel- 
oped into  a  beautiful  young  woman  of  eighteen  summers. 
She  was  two  years  younger  than  Marion  and  four  years 
younger  than  Fred. 

While  the  kind  brother  was  diligently  pursuing  his 
studies  at  Yale  the  two  girls  were  no  less  busy  at  Vassar. 

Since  graduation  the  lovers  had  been  enjoying  each 
others  society  almost  constantly,  and  it  was  with  great 
difficulty  that  their  parents  could  bring  themselves  to  the 
point  of  broaching  the  subject  which  was  destined  to  part 
these  happy  young  people  for  so  long  a  time. 


FREDERICK    YOUNG. 


CHAPTER  II. 

FRED     DECIDES     TO     GO     TO     MELBOURNE. 

That  evening,  Mr.  Young  sat  in  his  comfortable  and 
well-filled  library  in  his  up-town  residence.  He  had 
finished  the  evening  papers  and  had  fallen  into  deep  medi- 
tation; his  eyes  were  fixed  on  the  heavy  walnut  cases, 
which  were  filled  with  uniformly  bound  volumes,  and  yet 
he  did  not  appear  to  see  them.  Evidently  his  mind  was 
occupied  with  thoughts  that  made  him  oblivious  to  his 
surroundings.  Suddenly,  as  if  he  had  at  that  moment 
arrived  at  a  conclusion,  he  arose  and  touched  an  electric 
button.  A  few  seconds  later  the  heavy  oak  door  noise- 
lessly opened  and  a  neatly  dressed  servant  appeared. 

"James,"  said  Mr.  Young,  "is  Fred  at  home  this  even- 
ing?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"If  he  is  at  liberty,  please  ask  him  to  step  in  here." 

"Yes,  sir,"  said  James,  retiring  with  a  deferential  bow. 

A  moment  elapsed,  when  the  door  again  opened  and 
a  rather  light  complexioned  young  man,  with  a  blond 
mustache,  frank,  dark  blue  eyes,  a  broad  and  intellec- 
tual forehead,  surmounted  with  light  curly  hair,  entered 
the  room  and  closed  the  door  softly.  He  then  respect- 
fully said  to  Mr.  Young: 

"Father,  have  you  something  to  say  to  me?" 

"Yes,  Fred,  be  seated,  I  have  something  of  importance 
to  communicate  to  you." 

Mr.  Young  occupied  an  arm-chair  on  the  right  of  the 
open  grate,  which  was  well  filled  with  cannel  coal,  and  the 
clear,  yellow  flames  gave  the  room  a  cheerful  home-like 
appearance,  while  the  warmth  was  most  agreeable  on  this 
particular  night,  which  was  cold  and  wet  out  of  doors. 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  1 

Fred  drew  a  luxurious  plush  chair  up  to  the  left  of 
the  fire,  seated  himself,  and  turned  to  his  father  inter- 
rogatively. 

"Fred,"  Mr.  Young  began,  "you  are  now  through  with 
your  studies,  the  future  lies  before  you,  a  closed  book,  as 
it  were,  and  you  know  not  whether  it  is  good  or  bad; 
but,  my  son,  it  depends  on  you,  to  a  great  extent,  how 
that  book  shall  begin  and  how  it  shall  end.  It  is  for  you 
to  cut  and  pave  the  way  to  success,  or  failure,  as  the  case 
may  be.  It  is  needless,  perhaps,  to  say  that  the  former 
is  much  more  difficult  to  attain  than  the  latter;  but,  I 
think  you  will  be  successful,  that  is,  if  you  continue  to  do 
in  the  future  as  you  have  done  in  the  past.  I  have  been 
eminently  successful  in  my  business,  and  in  a  few  years 
I  intend  to  retire  from  active  commercial  life  and  transfer 
my  interests  in  the  firm  to  you.  I  am  not  quite  ready, 
however;  I  want  to  see  a  little  more  service  before  pass- 
ing into  disuse.  Now,  before  saying  anything  more, 
have  you  any  choice  regarding  vvhat  you  are  to  do  in  the 
future?  Have  you  thought  the  matter  over,  and  have 
you  an  inclination  for  any  particular  line  of  work?" 

"Yes,  father,  I  have  thought  this  matter  over  a  great 
deal,  and  I  have  concluded  that  business  will  be  more 
agreeable  to  me  than  a  profession.  In  fact,  I  have  had  a 
taste  of  commercial  life,  under  your  tuition,  and  I  am 
really  eager  for  more." 

"Capital,  Fred!  I  like  to  hear  you  talk  in  that  way, 
and  I  think  you  will  fall  in  with  my  plans,  which  I  will 
now  unfold  to  you.  You  know  we  have  not  been  satis- 
fied with  the  management  of  the  Australian  office  of 
late?" 

"I  have  heard  you  say  so,  father." 

"Well,  our  agent  there  is  like  the  majority  of  agents; 
that  is,  he  attends  to  the  routine  business  in  a  sort  of  me- 
chanical way,  but  he  lacks  the  spirit  and  interest  necessary 
to  the  success  of  such  a  branch  office.  Messrs.  Clark, 
Stillman  and  myself  have  jointly  talked  this  matter  over, 


8  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

and  we  have  concluded  that  it  will  be  advisable  to  send 
someone  who  is  personally  interested  to  the  Melbourne 
office  for  about  two  years,  to  take  charge;  to  rejuvenate 
it;  to  again  bring  it  up  to  its  former  standard  of  pros- 
perity. Whoever  goes,  at  the  end  of  two  years  can  select 
a  good,  capable  man,  to  leave  in  charge  on  his  return. 
After  that,  if  we  deem  it  expedient,  one  of  our  firm  can 
visit  the  office  periodically  and  inquire  into  its  condition, 
financial  and  otherwise.  All  the  members  of  our  com- 
pany have  cogent  reasons  for  declining  to  go,  although 
we  are  fully  aware  of  the  fact  that  one  of  us  ought  to  go ; 
but  we  have  compromised  and  concluded  to  send  an  able 
representative,  that  is,  if  he  will  accept  the  trust.  Can 
you  guess  whom  we  have  selected?" 
"I  cannot  possibly  imagine,  father." 
"We  have  chosen  no  other  than  yourself,  Fred." 
"You  have  chosen  me!"  the  young  man  exclaimed, 
astonished.  "Do  you  think  I  am  capable  of  doing  what 
is  required  by  your  firm?" 

"Yes,  my  son,  you  have  had  considerable  experience 
in  our  office  during  your  vacations,  and  we  think  you  can 
manage  the  foreign  office  with  credit  to  yourself  and  to 
our  entire  satisfaction." 

"You  are  very  kind,  father,  and  I  fully  appreciate  your 
confidence  in  me  and  the  honor  conferred  by  your  gener- 
ous offer;  but  have  you  thought  about  Marion  and 
myself?    This  will  part  us  for  a  long  time." 

"Yes,  Fred,  we  talked  the  matter  over  in  full  this  very 
afternoon.  I  think  it  will  be  better  for  you  to  wait  a  few 
years;  you  are  both  young  and  inexperienced  in  life's 
hardships.  Take  my  advice;  accept  the  position  pro- 
f erred  you;  go  to  Australia;  write  to  Marion  every 
mail  if  you  choose;  come  home  after  two  years,  an  ex- 
perienced business  man,  and  if  you  come  up  to  my  expec- 
tations I  shall  not  hesitate  to  assign  my  interest  in  the 
firm  of  Young,  Clark  &  Co.  to  my  son,  and  thus  perpetu- 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  9 

ate  the  long-established  name.  You  can  then  marry  your 
sweetheart,  settle  down  and  enjoy  hfe," 

"Really,  father,  your  oral  picture  is  very  pleasing  to 
contemplate,  but  the  reality  may  be  otherwise.  There 
are  many  unforeseen  pitfalls  in  the  future,  some  of  which 
may  upset  your  castles  in  the  air." 

"That  is  true,  Fred,  but  if  we  wish  to  accomplish  any- 
thing in  this  life  we  must  not  hesitate  to  act  on  account 
of  unforeseen  difficulties." 

"That  is  so,  father,  and  if  you  and  your  partners  concur 
in  sending  me  on  this  commission,  I  think  I  shall  accept, 
but  I  would  like  a  few  days  to  think  and  talk  the  matter 
over." 

"We  do,  Fred,  and  if  you  decide  to  go  we  will  draw 
up  th^  papers  and  attend  to  all  the  details  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible. We  would  like  to  have  you  start  by  December  ist, 
so  as  to  arrive  in  Melbourne  and  take  charge  of  the  busi- 
ness by  the  15th  of  January,  1879." 

"I  think  I  can  start  by  that  time,  if  I  go,  for  I  shall  bear 
in  mind  the  fact  that  the  quicker  I  start  the  sooner  I  may 
return." 

"If  you  go,  Fred,  I  would  suggest  that  you  cross  the 
United  States  by  rail  and  see  the  magnificent  scenery  of 
your  own  country,  and  it  will  teach  you  what  a  vast 
amount  of  territory  is  comprised  within  our  borders.  It 
will  also  give  you  a  material  idea  of  the  productive  and 
the  commercial  importance  of  our  domains.  From  San 
Francisco  you  can  sail  on  one  of  the  steamships  of  the 
Oceanic  Company's  line  to  Sidney,  New  South  Wales; 
touching  at  Honolulu,  Hawaii,  and  Auckland,  New  Zea- 
land. That  will  be  a  very  interesting  trip;  I  almost 
envy  you  now." 

"Perhaps  you  had  better  go  and  let  me  stay  at  home," 
replied  Fred  with  a  smile. 

"Let  me  see  how  those  ships  sail,"  said  Mr.  Young, 
taking  down  a  late  issue  of  the  "Universal  Railway  and 
Steamship  Guide,"  and  completely  ignoring  Fred's  re- 


10  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

mark.  After  a  moment's  consultation  he  said:  "Ah!  I 
have  it;  you  can  make  good  connections.  The  steam- 
ship Mariposa  leaves  San  Francisco  December  loth,  at 
three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  She  is  a  through  boat  to 
Sidney,  touching  at  Honolulu.  It  will  not  be  absolutely 
necessary  for  you  to  leave  New  York  before  December 
3d  or  4th,  unless  you  wish  to  stop  over  at  interesting 
points  en  route  to  the  Pacific  coast." 

No  doubt,  father,  that  will  be  the  best  route,  and  then 
it  will  be  the  most  direct  also,  but  we  will  decide  about 
those  things  later  on.  I  must  beg  to  be  excused  now, 
for  I  have  three  letters  to  write  before  retiring." 

"Very  well,  Fred." 

"Oh,  by  the  way,  father,"  said  Fred,  as  he  was  about 
to  leave  the  room,  "I  would  prefer  to  tell  Marion  of  this 
matter  myself." 

"You  may,  unless  Mr.  Stillman  has  already  told  her  of 
our  conversation  in  the  office." 

"Well,  I  shall  see  her  in  the  morning.  Good-night, 
father,"  said  Fred,  as  he  left  the  apartment. 

"Good-night,  my  boy,"  replied  Mr.  Young,  resuming 
his  reading. 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  11 


CHAPTER   III. 

FRED     VISITS     MARION. 

The  following  morning,  at  an  early  hour,  Fred  pre- 
sented himself  at  the  Stillman  mansion.  He  was  ushered 
into  the  drawing-room,  which  was  rather  dimly  lighted. 
The  blinds  were  partly  closed,  and  what  rays  of  sunshine 
found  the  way  into  the  richly  furnished  apartment  gave 
it  a  sort  of  rich,  mellow  appearance. 

Marion  soon  came  in.  She  was  dressed  in  a  dark, 
close-fitting  gown,  which  set  off  her  graceful  form  to  per- 
fection; her  dark,  expressive  eyes  and  wavy  black  hair 
presented  a  rather  strong  contrast  to  her  creamy  white 
face,  which  was  unusually  pale  this  morning.  But  her 
dimpled  cheeks  and  cupid-like  red  lips  gave  her  a  very 
sweet  and  attractive  appearance.  When  she  saw  Fred 
her  face  became  wreathed  in  a  sweet  smile  of  welcome, 
and  she  came  quickly  forward,  extending  both  hands  in 
greeting. 

"What  brings  you  so  early  this  morning,  Fred?  You 
must  have  something  of  importance  to  tell  me,  I  am 
sure,"  she  said. 

"Yes,  Marion,  I  have  very  important  news  indeed; 
news  which  may  affect  our  future  lives,  but  do  not  be 
alarmed,  dearest;  it  is  undoubtedly  for  the  best,  and  I 
trust  it  will  culminate  in  our  happiness." 

"Tell  me  what  it  is,  Fred,  you  know  I  dislike  suspense." 

"Well,  Marion,  to  cut  it  short,  our  fathers'  firm  has  de- 
cided to  send  someone  abroad  to  look  after  the  Australian 
business,  and  they  have  chosen  me  for  their  agent." 

"You,  Fred!     Are  you  going  to  that  far  oflf  land?" 

"It  is  a  splendid  opportunity  for  me,  Marion;  father 
urges  me  to  accept  the  offer,  and  I  have  decided  to  do  so." 


12  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

"How  long  will  you  be  away?"  she  inquired,  her  voice 
becoming  tremulous. 

"Two  years,  they  think,  will  be  necessary." 

"Oh,  Fred!"  she  exclaimed  in  a  reproachful  voice,  and 
her  eyes  filled  with  tears.  "Must  you  leave  me  for  so 
long  a  time?" 

Fred  drew  her  trembling  form  to  him  and  clasped  her 
in  his  arms,  gently  imprinting  a  kiss  on  her  quivering 
lips ;  then  he  looked  into  her  eyes  and  said : 

"Marion,  father  says  we  are  too  young  to  marry,  and 
that  if  I  will  go  to  Melbourne  and  do  my  best  for  the  firm, 
on  my  return,  if  I  prove  satisfactory,  he  will  assign  his 
share  of  the  stock  to  me,  and  that  I  can  then  marry  my 
sweetheart,  settle  down  and  enjoy  life.  In  the  meantime 
we  can  write  each  other  every  mail  if  we  choose." 

"He  is  very  good,  Fred,  but — but — "  letting  her  head 
fall  on  his  breast  and  sobbing,  "it  is  so — so  far  away,  and 
I  shall  not  see  your  face  or  hear  your  voice  for  so  lo-long." 

"Do  not  take  it  so  to  heart,  Marion,  or  you  will  dis- 
suade me  from  going.  I  dislike  to  leave  you,  but  think, 
dearest,  what  a  benefit  it  will  be  to  us  later  on.  Two 
years  will  soon  pass,  and  then,  perhaps,  you  can  persuade 
your  father  to  take  a  trip  to  Australia,  and  you  and  he 
and  anybody  else  that  may  accompany  you  can  spend  a 
few  weeks  or  months  with  me." 

"If  you  go,  Fred,  I  shall  surely  go  to  see  you  if  I  can 
possibly  get  father  or  someone  to  go  with  me,  and  noth- 
ing happens  to  prevent." 

"Of  course  you  will,  and  then  we  will  write  often,  so 
it  will  seem  that  we  are  near  each  other,  instead  of  being 
separated  by  oceans." 

"Fred,  I  dread  your  going  away,  on  one  account  in  par- 
ticular." 

"And  what  is  that,  dear?" 

"It  will  give  Robert  Clark  a  better  opportunity  to  force 
his  attentions  on  me.  He  does  it  whenever  possible,  no 
matter  how  coldly  I  treat  him ;  he  does  not  heed  my  cold- 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  13 

ness,  but  seems  determined  to  annoy  me  with  his  unwel- 
come presence.  I  dislike  the  fellow  very  much,  Fred, 
and  sometimes  I  almost  fear  him.  I  am  afraid  he  will 
try  to  harm  us  in  some  way;  he  is  so  revengeful  by 
nature." 

"Do  not  mind  him,  Marion,  I  do  not  think  he  has  cour- 
age enough  to  injure  us  in  any  way.  The  trouble  with 
him  is  his  father  has  lavished  too  much  money  on  him; 
he  has  never  done  any  work  and  he  is  really  nothing  but 
a  spoiled  child.  They  say  he  gambles  and  drinks  more 
wine  and  champagne  than  he  ought  to,  but  that  is  not 
strange  under  the  circumstances,  I  fear  his  end  will  be 
bad,  but  if  he  troubles  you  while  I  am  away  you  had 
better  have  your  father  take  the  matter  in  hand;  that  is, 
if  the  fellow  will  not  heed  you." 

'T  think  he  fairly  hates  you,  Fred,  and  it  is  all  on 
account  of  our  attachment." 

"Never  mind,  Marion,  I  pay  no  attention  to  him,  more 
than  to  be  civil  when  I  meet  him,  and  I  do  that  for  his 
father's  sake.     I  respect  Mr.  Clark  very  much." 

"Yes,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clark  are  very  nice  people,  and 
they  are  much  respected  by  all  who  know  them.  It  is 
too  bad  that  they  should  have  such  a  son,  but  they  think 
he  is  nearly  perfect,  and  they  seem  to  be  blind  to  his 
faults,  though  I  suppose  that  is  natural  with  parents." 


14  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

FRED     DEPARTS. 

At  last  the  first  of  December  arrived;  all  the  business 
matters  had  been  settled.  Mr.  Isaac  Boutelle,  the  Aus- 
tralian agent,  had  been  notified  that  Mr.  Frederick 
Young  would  arrive  to  take  charge  of  the  office  on  Janu- 
ary 15th,  and  Mr.  Boutelle  immediately  cabled  his  resig- 
nation. The  papers  had  been  drawn  up  and  signed  and 
Fred  had  written  authority  to  take  charge  on  his  arrival 
at  Melbourne.  He  had  engaged  passage  on  the  ship 
Mariposa,  of  the  Oceanic  Steamship  Co.,  which  was  ad- 
vertised to  sail  from  San  Francisco  December  loth,  and 
to  reach  Sidney,  New  South  Wales,  January  5th.  This 
would  allow  him  ten  days  to  reach  Melbourne,  make  the 
transfer  and  settle  down  in  his  new  quarters  preparatory 
to  taking  charge  of  the  foreign  office. 

December  3,  1878,  Fred  departed  from  home  and 
friends  for  the  Pacific  coast.  He  had  spent  the  pre- 
vious evening  with  Marion,  who  had  become,  in  a  meas- 
ure, reconciled  to  the  parting.  Numerous  pledges  of 
love  and  constancy,  it  is  needless  to  say,  were  made,  and, 
without  doubt,  in  full  sincerity  that  they  would  be  faith- 
fully kept.  Unforeseen  events  were  destined  to  occur, 
however,  which  would  smite  those  hearts  which  were 
spiritually  united,  with  pain,  anguish  and  suspense. 

After  Fred's  departure  everything  ran  along  smoothly 
and  in  the  usual  channels  for  a  fortnight,  when  Robert 
Clark,  thinking  the  coast  to  be  clear  for  him,  commenced 
to  harass  Marion  Stillman  with  his  attentions.  He  be- 
gan by  making  himself  obnoxious  at  the  theatre;  he 
would,  on  some  trivial  pretext,  force  himself  without 
invitation  into  the  Stillman  box  and  endeavor  to  make 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  15 

himself  agreeable  to  the  occupants,  and  especially  to 
Marion.  His  advances,  however,  were  met  with  a  cold, 
dignified  silence  which  exasperated  him,  although  he  did 
not  show  externally  the  chagrin  that  he  felt.  He  asked 
permission  to  accompany  her  home  and  was  curtly  re- 
fused without  explanation.  All  his  schemes  to  gain 
access  to  her  presence  met  with  as  little  success.  This 
state  of  affairs  continued  for  several  weeks,  and  Marion 
became  exceedingly  annoyed  by  his  importunities  and 
told  him  that  she  would  prefer  not  to  be  bothered  further 
by  his  invitations  or  even  his  presence.  She  plainly 
told  him  that  she  was  engaged  to  marry  Fred  on  his 
return,  and  in  the  meantime  that  she  should  accept  no 
gentleman's  favor. 

"Miss  Stillman,"  he  replied,  "I  beg  your  pardon,  but 
I  must  assure  you  that  you  mistake  my  intentions,  for  I 
have  sought  to  lessen  your  sorrow  occasioned  by  the 
parting  with  your  lover  by  entertaining  you  and  thus 
diverting  your  thoughts  into  more  pleasant  channels." 

"I  thank  you,  Mr.  Clark,  but  I  am  amply  entertained 
without  your  kind  assistance,  and  I  trust  that  it  will  not 
be  necessary  for  you  to  put  yourself  out  in  the  future  on 
my  account.  And,  I  may  add,  that  you  will  much  oblige 
me  by  not  doing  so." 

"Miss  Stillman,  I  respect  you  very  much,  and  I  will 
endeavor  to  accede  to  your  desire,  but  I  am  at  a  loss  to 
understand  your  attitude  toward  me." 

In  appearance  Robert  Clark  was  handsome;  he  was 
very  dark,  and  his  black,  silky  hair  and  mustache  were 
but  little  darker  than  his  eyes.  If  one's  mouth  is  an 
exponent  of  one's  character,  however,  his  thin  lips  be- 
tokened a  cruel  and  a  treacherous  disposition  and  his 
uneasy  and  restless  glance  but  added  to  this  conception 
of  him.  His  figure  was  well  proportioned  and  his  dress 
was  rather  too  flashy  to  impress  one  favorably. 

The  above  conversation  between  Robert  Qark  and 
Marion  was  conducted  with  superficial  politeness,  but 


16  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

on  his  part  it  had  a  tendency  to  augment  the  hatred 
which  he  already  harbored  against  Fred. 

Marion  anticipated  a  violent  exhibition  of  anger  from 
Robert,  and  she  was  greatly  surprised  at  the  nonchalance 
which  he  displayed  during  the  interview.  His  manner, 
however,  left  her  more  uneasy  than  ever,  for  she  knew 
that  his  apparent  indifference  was  assumed  and  not  real. 
And  there  was  something  about  his  glance  that  she 
feared;  she  knew  it  boded  her  no  good. 

When  Robert  Qark  left  Marion  that  day  he  was  in  an 
angry  mood,  and  he  mentally  vowed  that  he  would  yet 
woo  and  win  her  if  he  had  to  resort  to  forcible  means 
to  accomplish  his  purpose.  He  loved  Marion,  in  his 
way,  and  her  animosity  toward  him  but  added  fuel  to  the 
flame.  As  he  walked  through  the  park  toward  home  he 
meditated  on  the  subject.  "By  George,  I  have  it!"  he 
suddenly  exclaimed  in  an  audible  tone.  Then  to  himself 
— "If  Frederick  Young  never  steps  foot  on  American 
soil  again  I  can  win  the  beautiful  Marion,  but  if  he  returns 
in  two  years  I  cannot.  He  must  not  and  he  shall  not 
return  if  it  Hes  in  my  power  to  prevent  him!"  The  last 
exclamation  was  fairly  hissed  between  his  closely  shut 
teeth  and  an  evil  expression  took  possession  of  his 
countenance,  while  his  tightly  clenched  right  hand  was 
brought  down  on  his  left  in  a  manner  that  forcibly  em- 
phasized his  determination.  "I  have  never  wanted  to 
accomplish  an  object  yet  but  that  I  have  done  it,  and  this 
one  shall  not  balk  me.  If  Fred  Young  never  returns 
no  suspicion  of  foul  play  must  rest  on  me.  A  shipwreck 
at  sea  or  something  of  that  sort  will  do,  and  then  it  will 
be  attributed  to  carelessness  on  the  crew's  part,  or  a 
freak  of  the  elements,"  the  villain  said  to  himself,  while  a 
cruel  smile  lurked  around  his  lips. 

That  evening,  in  the  soHtude  of  his  sleeping  apartment, 
Robert  Clark  evolved  a  villainous  scheme  for  ending  his 
rival's  earthly  career. 

Whatever  the  plan  adopted  was,  it  was  carried  out  in  a 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  17 

methodical  manner,  for  books  on  chemistry  and  natural 
philosophy  were  carefully  studied,  while  frequent  refer- 
ence was  made  to  a  chart  of  the  world  and  a  disk  calen- 
dar for  the  nineteenth  century.  The  programme  was 
carefully  written  out,  and  the  gong  of  the  marble  hall-way 
clock  had  announced  the  hour  of  midnight  before  the 
schemer  had  perfected  his  murderous  plan. 


18  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 


CHAPTER  V. 

FRED     ARRIVES     AT     MELBOURNE. 

When  Marion  entered  the  dining-room  at  breakfast 
time  on  the  morning  of  January  4th,  she  found  a  letter 
beside  her  plate  bearing  the  post-mark — "Honolulu, 
Hawaii,  December  17th" — and  the  superscription  caused 
a  slight  flush  to  mantle  her  cheeks  and  brow,  while  a 
pleased  smile  played  around  her  lips. 

The  letter  was  from  Fred,  and  it  read  as  follows: 

"Pacific  Ocean,  on  board  steamship  Mariposa,  Decem- 
ber 17,  1878. 
"My  Dearest  Marion: 

"This,  my  first  of  a  long  series  of  letters  to  you,  is  writ- 
ten on  the  rolHng  deep  and  within  sight  of  the  Hawaiian 
Islands. 

"My  trip  across  the  States  was  interesting,  but  un- 
eventful, and  so  far  my  sea  voyage  has  been  delightful. 
I  have,  to  the  present  time,  enjoyed  good  health,  and  I 
trust  my  sweetheart  and  all  my  dear  friends  at  home  are 
likewise  favored. 

"These  volcanic  islands  of  perpetual  green,  which  are 
favored  with  a  semi-tropical  climate,  can  now  be  plainly 
seen,  while  my  powerful  binocular  telescope  enables  me 
to  study  them  in  the  minutest  detail.  Beautiful  and 
stately  palms  can  be  seen  gently  swaying  in  the  light 
breeze,  scattering  thatched-roof  huts  are  to  be  occasion- 
ally noted  beneath  the  abundant  shade,  while  the  smoky- 
blue  mountains  form  a  rugged  and  picturesque  back- 
ground. At  one  time  we  could  see  a  thin  column  of 
smoke  arising  in  the  distance,  which  the  captain  said 
came  from  the  great  crater  of  Kilauea,  which  is  said  to  be 
the  largest  active  volcano  in  the  world  with  its  unquench- 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  19 

able  liquid  lake  of  sulphurous  fire.  Even  at  a  distance  this 
isolated  group  of  islands  presents  a  beautiful  appearance. 
South  of  us  lies  the  small  island  called  Molokai,  with  an 
area  of  270  square  miles.  It  is  universally  known  on 
account  of  having  been  the  site  of  a  lepers'  settlement, 
established  by  the  Hawaiian  government.  There  are 
about  800  lepers  there  now,  but  the  verdant  shore  shows 
no  sign  of  the  misery  and  sadness  that  must  be  experi- 
enced by  these  unfortunate  people,  who  are  ruthlessly 
torn  away  from  home  and  family  and  sent  to  this  solitary 
island — never  to  return. 

"Twenty-three  miles  northwest  of  this  land  of  leprosy 
lies  Oahu,  another  island  of  this  group.  Honolulu,  the 
capital  of  the  kingdom  and  the  residence  of  the  royal 
family,  is  located  on  this  island.  The  interior  is  very 
mountainous;  the  highest  peak  attains  an  altitude  of 
some  6,000  feet.  South  of  this  point  about  100  miles 
lies  the  island  of  Hawaii,  and  there  great  peaks  tower 
some  14,000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  ocean,  or  nearly 
as  high  as  the  twin  sum^mits  of  Mount  Shasta,  whose 
snow-capped  peaks  you  siaw  during  your  Californian 
tour. 

"Honolulu  is  now  plainly  visible,  and  it  looks  very 
pretty  and  quite  civilized.  It  lies  at  the  mouth,  so  to  speak, 
of  a  valley,  on  quite  a  good  harbor,  and  the  low  houses, 
the  scattering  public  buildings,  and  church  spires  nestled 
in  the  luxuriant  semi-tropical  vegetation,  with  lofty, 
smoky-blue  mountains  in  the  background,  combine  to 
make  an  entrancing  scene. 

"Just  think,  Marion,  what  our  Christian  people  have 
done  for  the  natives.  In  1820  our  first  missionaries  set 
foot  on  these  islands;  then  the  people  were  in  a  state  of 
barbarous  idolatry;  now  the  immaculate  spires  of  God's 
temples  first  meet  the  stranger's  gaze  as  he  approaches 
their  capital  city.  We  will  make  but  a  short  stay  at 
Honolulu.  I  will  tell  you  more  about  the  city  and  the 
people  therein  later. 


20  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

"I  am  now  2,100  miles  from  San  Francisco  and  4,500 
miles  from  Melbourne;  so  over  half  my  journey  has  been 
traversed. 

"You  are,  no  doubt,  enjoying  yourself  during  my 
absence,  and  you  must  continue  to  do  so  until  I  return. 
My  chief  pleasure  will  be  in  writing  to  and  receiving 
letters  from  my  dearest  Marion,  to  whom  I  must  now  say 
adieu.  Yours  affectionately, 

"F:red." 

That  morning  Marion  ate  her  breakfast  with  relish; 
Fred's  letter  had  put  her  in  exceedingly  good  spirits. 
One  twenty-fourtli  of  that  two  years  had  already  flown, 
and  the  massive  electrical,  synchronized  clock  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  dining-room  from  her  was  methodi- 
cally beating  off  the  seconds  which  were  to  make  up  the 
minutes,  hours  and  days  of  that  long  period  of  time. 

"Oh,  dear!"  exclaimed  Marion,  as  she  thought  of  this, 
"'old  clock,  I  do  not  want  to  wish  away  time,  but  I  do 
wish  you  would  move  a  little  faster;  your  very  regularity 
irritates  me!" 

Robert  Clark  had  respected  Marion's  request  and  had 
not  disturbed  her  sinjce  she  plainly  told  him  that  she  pre- 
ferred not  to  be  troubled  by  his  presence.  On  this  ac- 
count she  thought  more  of  him,  but  at  the  same  time 
she  could  not  refrain  from  thinking  that  perhaps  his 
silence  meant  more  than  she  anticipated.  Perhaps  he 
was  working  up  some  secret  plan  for  revenge;  she  well 
knew  his  disposition  and  she  could  not  think  it  possible 
that  he  would  give  up  so  easily. 

February  15th  Marion  received  another  letter  from 
Fred;  it  was  dated,  "Melbourne,  Victoria,  January  12, 
1879."  He  had  experienced  a  very  pleasant  voyage  and 
had  arrived  at  his  destination  safely.  In  a  few  days  he 
would  take  charge  of  the  branch  office,  when  he  expected 
to  write  Messrs.  Young,  Clark  &  Co.  an  exhaustive  report 
regarding  the  condition  of  the  Melbourne  business. 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  21 


CHAPTER  VI. 

ROBERT  CLABK  GOES  ABROAD. 

A  year  and  a  half  had  passed  away  since  Fredericlr 
Young  left  his  native  land,  to  fight  his  way  to  success 
in  a  foreign  country  and  among  entire  strangers.  By 
diligence  and  perseverance  he  had  succeeded  in  improv- 
ing, in  a  marked  degree,  the  condition  of  the  Australian 
affairs.  His  employers  were  well  satisfied  with  the  finan- 
cial returns  since  this  branch  had  been  under  Fred's 
supervision. 

He  had  written  home  saying  that  he  had  decided  to 
return  to  New  York  about  February  i,i88i,  leaving  the 
Melbourne  business  in  charge  of  his  head  clerk,  Mr.  Red- 
mond WilHs,  whom  he  had  found  to  be  not  only  capable, 
but  honest  and  faithful.  He  thought  there  was  no 
doubt  but  that  Mr.  Willis  could  manage  the  business 
satisfactorily. 

The  Stillman  family  had  not  been  to  Australia,  as  had 
been  proposed;  Fred's  return  was  now  so  near  at  hand 
that  the  idea  of  going  was  abandoned.  Mrs.  Stillman  had 
been  very  ill  and  Marion  had  been  in  constant  attend- 
ance, so  it  had  been  impossible  for  the  faithful  daughter 
to  visit  her  distant  lover.  However,  she  had  received 
letters  about  every  week  from  him,  and  she  had  found 
time  to  answer  each  one  promptly. 

It  was  expected  that  Fred  would  reach  home  some- 
time in  the  month  of  March,  when  the  consummation  of 
his  own  and  Marion's  hopes  were  to  be  realized  if  noth- 
ing intervened  to  prevent.  Preparations  for  the  nuptials 
were  already  in  progress. 

Marion  had  not  been  subjected  to  Robert  Clark's  ad- 
vances since  the  time  she  plainly  told  him  her  wishes. 


22  FREDERICK    YOUNG, 

She  was  both  pleased  and  surprised  to  have  freed  herself 
of  him  so  easily,  for  she  had  anticipated  some  trouble 
with  him.  He  always  pohtely  saluted  her  when  they 
met,  and  he  had  approached  her  but  once  since  that 
memorable  interview.  That  was  one  warm,  sunny  au- 
tumn day,  when  Marion  was  walking  in  Central  Park. 
She  suddenly  came  face  to  face  with  Robert.  He  raised 
his  hat,  and  said  with  an  ironical  smile: 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  Miss  Stillman,  but  may  I  bid  you 
good-bye?" 

"Why,  are  you  going  to  leave  the  city?"  she  coolly 
asked. 

"I  sail  for  Europe  next  Saturday,  and  I  may  be  gone 
one,  two,  or  possibly  three  years,"  he  replied. 

"This  is  a  surprise.  I  have  not  heard  of  it  before. 
Your  parents  must  feel  badly  about  it,"  she  returned. 

"They  appear  to  do  so.  I  wonder  if  any  one  else  will 
care,"  he  said,  watching  her  narrowly. 

She  understood  him  and  soug'ht  to  end  the  conversa- 
tion before  it  became  more  embarrassing. 

"No  doubt  but  that  your  friends  will  miss  you,  Mr. 
Clark.  You  must  excuse  me  now,  for  I  have  an  errand 
of  importance  to  attend  to,  so  I  will  now  say  good-day 
and  wish  you  a  pleasant  tour."  So  saying,  she  passed 
him  and  continued  on  her  way. 

Marion  felt  relieved  to  hear  that  Robert  Clark  was 
about  to  leave  the  country,  for  she  still  entertained  the 
idea  that  he  had  not  given  her  up  but  was  only  biding  his 
time  to  act.  She  littl^  thought  what  his  real  purpose  in 
going  abroad  was  and  how  it  might  affect  her  future;  if 
she  had  she  would  have  preferred  that  he  should  remain 
in  New  York. 

Robert  Clark,  after  the  short  interview,  watched 
Marion  until  she  disappeared  around  some  shrubbery, 
then  he  turned  on  his  heel,  while  a  cynical  smile  played 
around  his  lips.  "She  is  very  cool,"  he  muttered  to  him- 
self, "and  she  is  glad  to  get  rid  of  me,  but  if  she  knew  that 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  23 

I  am  going  purposely  to  dispose  of  my  hated  rival,  Fred 
Young,  she  might  change  her  tune." 

At  the  time  stated  Robert  Clark  sailed  on  one  of  the 
ships  of  the  Hamburg  Line  for  Europe.  Six  weeks  later 
Mr.  Clark,  Robert's  father,  received  a  letter  from  his  son, 
and  it  was  a  significant  fact  that  the  letter,  although  dated 
at  Nice,  bore  the  Monaco  post-mark.  Could  it  be  pos- 
sible that  Robert  was  spending  his  time  around  that  gam- 
bUng  resort,  and  had  dated  his  letter  Nice  to  mislead 
his  parents?  One  acquainted  with  his  habits  would  say 
that  the  Casino  at  Monte  Carlo  would  be  just  the  place 
to  find  him. 

Robert  intimated  in  his  letter  that  he  intended  to  travel 
through  Italy,  visiting  Venice,  Florence,  Rome,  Naples, 
Mount  Vesuvius,  the  ruins  of  Pompeii  and  Herculaneum, 
and  thence  across  the  Mediterranean  Sea  to  Egypt,  where 
they  might  expec  "to  hear  from  him  next. 

The  second  letter  was  from  Khartoom,  and,  to  the 
pain  and  surprise  of  his  parents,  Robert  announced  that 
he  had  decided  to  accompany  an  exploring  party,  which 
was  then  preparing  to  visit  the  upper  Nile,  and  that  be- 
fore the  letter  in  question  reached  them  he  would  have 
started  on  the  journey.  "So,"  he  wrote,  "do  not  be 
alarmed  if  you  do  not  hear  from  me  again  for  a  year  or 
more.  If  I  have  a  chance  to  send  a  letter  to  the  coast  I 
will  do  so,  but  I  really  do  not  expect  to  have  an  oppor- 
tunity to  send  one  in  that  way." 

Instead  of  going  up  the  Nile,  as  Robert  had  informed 
his  parents  that  he  would  do,  he  retraced  his  steps  to 
Cairo,  after  spending  a  few  days  at  the  Pyramids  and  at 
the  ruins  of  Memphis,  Then  he  engaged  passage  on  a 
steamship  bound  for  Sidney,  N.  S.  W.,  Australia,  and 
under  the  assumed  name  of  Oscar  E.  Richards. 

Why  had  he  deliberately  falsified  in  his  letter,  and  why 
was  he  sailing  under  a  fictitious  name?  These  questions 
are  easily  answered,  Robert  Clark  went  abroad  mainly 
to  prevent  the  return  of  Frederick  Young;  his  plans  for 


24  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

accomplishing  that  object  will  be  disclosed  as  this  narra- 
tive progresses.  His  purpose  in  saying  he  was  going  up 
the  Nile,  when  he  really  had  no  such  intention,  was  a 
scheme  of  his  to  account  for  a  period  of  time  which  he 
intended  to  otherwise  employ.  If  he  had  gone  to  Aus- 
tralia without  notifying  his  parents  of  the  fact,  and  had 
not  written  to  them  for  a  long  time,  they  would  have  be- 
come anxious  about  him.  If  he  had  written,  it  would 
have  revealed  his  true  location,  which  he  was  very  careful 
to  keep  secret;  hence  his  reason  for  fabricating  the  story 
regarding  the  trip  into  the  wilds  of  Africa. 

In  case  anything  should  happen  to  Frederick  Young, 
and  Robert  should  become  open  to  suspicion,  it  would 
be  very  awkward  to  have  the  authorities,  upon  investiga- 
tion, ascertain  that  Robert  Clark,  on  a  certain  date,  left 
Egypt  on  a  steamship  bound  for  Australia.  To  prevent 
such  an  occurrence  he  sailed  under  a  false  name  and  in 
disguise. 

When  he  stepped  off  the  train  at  Melbourne,  one  morn- 
ing in  the  month  of  January,  his  most  intimate  friends 
would  not  have  recognized  him  as  the  natty  young  swell 
of  the  New  York  club  rooms.  For  he  wore  a  rather 
loose,  ill-fitting  light  suit,  which  made  him  appear  to  be 
stouter  in  build  than  he  really  was.  A  broad-brimmed, 
light-colored,  soft  felt  hat  was  pulled  down  over  his  eyes; 
he  wore  a  full  beard  and  \yhat  could  be  seen  of  his  fea- 
tures were  tanned  nut-brown,  as  were  also  his  hands,  from 
long  exposure  on  land  and  sea  under  a  tropical  sun. 

On  arriving  at  the  city  he  engaged  a  cab  which  soon 
landed  him  at  the  Victoria  Hotel,  one  of  the  best  in  Mel- 
bourne.    This,  for  a  time,  was  to  be  his  headquarters. 

During  the  day  he  tested  his  disguise  by  frequenting 
Bourke  Street,  where  the  office  of  Young,  Clark  &  Co. 
was  located,  and  it  happened  that  just  as  he  was  passing 
the  entrance  Fred  came  forth,  and  the  rivals  met  face  to 
face.  Their  eyes  met  also,  but  on  Fred's  part  there  was 
no  look  or  sign  of  recognition.     He  little  thought  that 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  25 

this  man  had  come  10,000  miles  purposely  to  prevent  him 
from  ever  seeing  his  native  land,  parents,  or  his  affianced 
bride  again.  I^ow  much  trouble,  sorrow  and  suspense 
it  would  have  saved  Fred  if  he  could  have  known  his 
enemy's  plans  and  have  checkmated  them  in  time!     • 


^6  FREDERICK    YOUNQ. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

AN     INFERNAL       MACHINE. 

Fred  found  it  impossible  to  get  ready  to  sail  for  San 
Francisco  on  the  ship  which  was  to  leave  Sidney  Janu- 
ary 25th,  and  he  did  not  want  to  wait  until  the  next  boat, 
which  would  not  sail  until  February  22d.  Therefore,  he 
sought  some  other  out-going  ship,  and  he  was  so  fortu- 
nate as  to  find  the  fast  twin  screw  propeller  Polynesia, 
which  was  expected  to  clear  for  Callao,  Peru,  South 
America,  February  3d.  She  was  fitted  up  for  a  few  pas- 
sengers, but  she  made  a  specialty  of  freight.  Fred  ex- 
perienced no  trouble  in  getting  passage.  He  would 
have  preferred  going  more  direct,  but  he  ascertained 
that  good  connections  could  be  made  at  Callao  for  the 
California  ports ;  so  he  would  arrive  home  much  quicker 
than  he  possibly  could  by  waiting  for  the  Sidney  boat, 
even  if  it  did  go  more  direct.  Therefore,  he  decided  to 
sail  on  the  Polynesia.  This  would  afford  him  the  pleasure 
of  seeing  the  beautiful  scenery  of  many  of  the  South 
Pacific  islands,  and  also  the  picturesque  Peruvian  coast, 
backed  by  the  lofty,  snow-capped  Andes.  He  did  not 
think  much  about  these  things,  but  he  was  a  true  lover 
of  nature,  and  he  could  not  fail  to  appreciate  her  beau- 
ties as  they  were  unfolded  to  him  along  the  route.  No 
person  liberally  educated  will  ignore  nature's  charms, 
and  it  matters  not  whether  that  education  be  obtained 
within  the  precincts  of  the  lucubrator's  chamber,  or 
whether  it  be  acquired  while  environed  by  college  walls. 
The  same  delicate  perception  and  refinement  of  nature 
are  the  outcome. 

When  Fred  left  his  office  to  go  to  the  Sandridge  piers 
in  quest  of  an  outward  bound  ship,  a  man  in  a  light  suit, 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  27 

and  wearing  a  soft  felt  hat  pulled  own  over  his  eyes, 
sauntered  along  after  him.  This,  as  the  reader  has  pro- 
bably surmised,  was  Robert  Clark,  and  that  he  had  some 
villainous  scheme  in  his  head  we  have  no  reason  to  doubt. 
Robert  followed  Fred  everywhere  he  went,  adroitly  keep- 
ing in  the  rear,  or  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street,  so 
as  not  to  excite  suspicion. 

Finally  Fred  went  on  board  the  steamship  Polynesia, 
but  his  shadow  did  not  follow;  he  loitered  around  the 
dock  until  Fred  came  a,shore,  when  Robert  again  followed 
his  rival.  Fred  went  but  a  short  distance,  when  he  hailed 
a  passing  cab,  jumped  in,  and  instructed  the  driver  to 
take  him  to  the  Bourke  Street  office. 

"Let  him  go,"  thought  Robert,  "he  has  evidently  en- 
gaged passage  on  this  ship,  and  I  think  I  will  learn  if 
such  is  a  fact  before  going  further."  He  then  again 
went  to  the  extremity  of  the  pier  and  there  accosted  a 
seaman  who  was  leaning  over  the  rail  of  the  ship  and 
puffing  laboriously  away  at  an  old  black  pipe. 

"Do  you  belong  on  this  ship?"   inquired  Robert. 

"I  reckon  I  do,  boss,"  replied  the  sailor,  indifferently. 

"Where  is  she  bound?"  asked  Robert. 

"Callao,"  said  the  tar  between  his  puflFs. 

"When  does  she  sail?"  continued  Robert. 

"Next  Tuesday  at  high  water,  'less  something  breaks," 
returned  the  sailor. 

"Do  you  carry  many  passengers?" 

"A  few,  mostly  freight;  the  cap'n  just  booked  a  pas- 
senger, and  he  was  a  mighty  fine  appearing  chap,  too," 
said  the  sailor,  becoming  communicative. 

"Oh,  is  that  so?  I  just  met  a  gentleman,  dressed  in  a 
steel-colored  suit,  with  a  light  mustache,  coming  ofif  the 
dock.     Was  that  the  one  you  refer  to?" 

"That's  the  identical  chap,  and  I  like  him,  though  I 
never  said  a  word  to  him.  You  see  I  heard  him  talking 
to  the  cap'n,  and  I  liked  his  looks,  and  I  am  glad  that  he 
is  going  to  Callao  with  us." 


28  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

*'l  wonder  who  he  is,  it  seems  as  if  I  have  seen  him 
around  the  city  considerably,"  said  Robert,  reflectively. 

"I  don't  know.  His  name  is  Young,  and  he  is  going 
to  New  York.  You  see  he  wanted  to  go  to  San  Francisco, 
but  the  'Frisco  steamer  don't  sail  'till  the  latter  part  of 
next  month,  and  he  seemed  to  be  in  a  mighty  hurry  to 
get  to  York,  so  he  is  going  by  the  way  of  Callao.  He 
said  he  could  not  wait  for  that  other  steamer." 

"I  am  in  luck !  That  is  Fred  Young  he  means  without 
a  doubt,"  thought  Robert.  Then  aloud  he  said,  "Yes, 
that  was  a  fine  appearing  man."  He  then  opened  his 
cigar-case,  extracted  tv/o  cigars  and  handed  them  to  the 
sailor,  saying,  "I  suppose  you  smoke  these  occasionally?" 

"You  bet  I  do,  boss,  especially  when  I  go  up  town  on 
a  lark." 

Robert  had  now  learned  all  that  the  sailor  knew  con- 
cerning Fred,  so  he  paid  no  further  attention  to  the  tar, 
but  went  aboard  the  ship  in  search  of  the  captain.  He 
met  that  individual  on  the  deck  and  made  inquiries  of  him 
in  regard  to  shipping  goods  to  Peru. 

"What  do  you  want  to  ship?"  the  captain  asked. 

"I  shall  only  have  a  small  consignment,  consisting  of 
five  bales  of  wool  and  a  case  of  dry  goods  for  Lima," 
Robert  replied. 

"Well,  I  will  take  them,  and  you  must  get  them  down 
here  with  dispatch,  for  I  have  got  a  large  cargo  to  stow 
away  and  I  want  to  close  the  hatches  by  Monday  night 
without  fail." 

"I  will  have  the  bales  sent  down  this  afternoon,  but  it 
will  be  impossible  for  me  to  get  the  case  here  before 
Monday." 

"Very  well,  get  it  here  early  then." 

"I  will  do  so,"  said  Robert,  bidding  the  captain  good- 
day  and  leaving  the  ship. 

He  then  immediately  proceeded  to  Melbourne  and  en- 
tered a  wholesale  dry  goods  house,  where  he  purchased 
a  case  and  had  it  filled  with  a  cheap  cotton  textile  fabric 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  29 

known  as  print  cloth.  This  he  instructed  the  clerk  to 
send  to  his  hotel.  Next  he  sought  an  office  where  raw 
wool  was  bought  and  sold.  He  ordered  five  bales  of  a 
low  grade  and  had  them  stencilled  for  Shultz  &  Co.,  Plaza 
de  Bolivia,  Lima,  Peru,  S.  A.,  and  then  he  engaged  the 
services  of  an  express  team  and  instructed  the  driver  to 
deliver  the  bales  to  the  steamship  Polynesia,  at  the  Sand- 
ridge  dock. 

The  following  Monday  morning  Robert  Qark  received 
the  case  of  print-cloth  and  had  two  porters  carry  it  to  his 
sitting-room  at  the  hotel.  He  then  entered  the  apart- 
ment, closed  ajid  locked  the  doors  and  hung  handker- 
chiefs on  the  knobs  so  that  they  covered  the  key-holes 
which  were  destitute  of  metalHc  covers.  He  next  closed 
the  lower  sections  of  the  Venetian  blinds  so  the  room 
would  be  well  lighted  and  at  the  same  time  make  it  im- 
possible for  any  one  outside  to  look  in.  Evidently  some- 
thing of  a  private  nature  was  to  be  done. 

After  everything  had  been  arranged  to  his  satisfaction 
he  proceeded  to  open  the  case  and  remove  about  two- 
thirds  of  the  contents;  he  then  knelt  before  a  heavy  oak 
chest,  unlocked  it,  and  very  gingerly  removed  some  of 
the  articles  therein  contained.  He  finally  came  to  a 
heavy  sheet-iron  chest  which  weighed  about  loo  pounds. 
This  was  lifted  out  and  placed  on  the  floor  with  great  care, 
and  it  was  well  for  the  villain  that  it  was,  for  it  contained 
that  powerful  and  destructive  agent  known  as  dynamite; 
an  explosive  endowed  with  a  force  thirteen  times  greater 
than  that  of  gunpowder.  Robert  lifted  the  lid  and  ex- 
posed the  contents  to  view;  the  chest  was  nearly  full  of 
a  gray,  pasty  appearing  substance,  and  it  was  of  his  own 
manufacture.  He  had  feared  that  if  he  attempted  to  pur- 
chase such  a  quantity  of  dynamite  it  would  create  suspi- 
cion, so  he  secured  the  ingredients  from  different  sources 
and  compounded  the  dangerous  mass  himself.  This 
operation  was  necessarily  attended  with  considerable 
risk,  as  it  was  carried  on  in  a  moderately  warm  room.     A 


30  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

low  temperature  materially  lessens  the  danger  of  a  prema- 
ture explosion. 

In  the  center  of  the  dynamite  tnere  was  a  cavity  about 
eight  inches  square,  and  a  small,  hard-wood  box  which 
Robert  Clark  took  from  the  large  chest,  would  just  fit 
into  this  place,  which  had  evidently  been  made  for  it. 

This  small  box  contained  a  remarkable  mechanism. 
One  side  was  pierced  by  six  holes,  through  which  pro- 
jected as  many  dynamite  percussion  cartridges.  If  the 
explosion  of  the  dynamite  depended  on  one  cap  it  might 
fail,  on  account  of  that  cap  being  defective;  but  as  there 
were  six,  and  each  had  been  selected  from  a  different  box, 
the  chance  of  failure  would  be  very  small.  The  interior 
of  this  machine  was  of  an  exceedingly  complicated  na- 
ture. The  main  parts,  however,  consisted  of  a  large 
balance  wheel,  driven  by  powerful  springs,  which  were 
slowly  liberated  by  a  noiseless  escapement.  An  exterior 
dial,  bearing  on  its  periphery  numbers  from  one  to  thirty, 
indicated  the  number  of  days  after  being  wound  that 
the  interior  machinery  would  liberate  the  strikers  and  sim- 
ultaneously explode  the  caps.  The  indicator  on  this  dial 
could  be  set  at  any  desired  number  of  days  from  one  to 
thirty.  Robert  had  repeatedly  tested  this  infernal  con- 
trivance, letting  the  strikers  fall  on  blank  caps,  and  he 
was  confident  that  it  would  not  fail  him  on  its  next  and 
last  trial. 

Robert  Clark  was  a  cunning  and  an  intelligent  rascal, 
as  was  made  evident  by  the  means  he  was  preparing  to 
employ  in  order  that  his  enemy  might  be  swept  from  his 
path.  For  the  contrivance  described  above  was  invented 
by  him,  and  it  was  purposely  designed  to  send  the  ship 
in  which  Frederick  Young  was  to  sail  for  America,  to 
the  bottom  of  the  Pacific.  Robert  Clark,  fiend  in  human 
guise  as  he  was,  had  no  compunction  in  taking  this  step 
to  send  his  hated  rival,  as  he  was  pleased  to  call  Fred,  to 
eternity.  He  cared  not  how  many  precious  lives  were 
destroyed,  so  long  as  his  end  was  accomplished.     Many 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  31 

must  suffer  in  order  that  vengeance  might  be  wreaked 
on  one;  it  was  but  a  repetition  of  the  decree  of  Herod, 
and  let  us  trust  that  it  was  not  to  be  more  successful. 

At  last  all  was  ready  and  Robert  carefully  wound  his 
death-dealing  machine,  placed  the  indicator  at  the  15th 
day,  and  set  the  balance  wheel  in  motion.  It  was  then 
placed  in  the  central  cavity  of  the  dynamite  chest  and 
snugly  secured  by  tamping  wool  around  it.  A  layer  of 
the  same  material  was  placed  on  top  of  the  explosive,  so 
that  when  the  cover  of  the  box  was  closed  and  fastened 
the  contents  would  remain  firmly  in  place,  thus  prevent- 
ing a  premature  explosion.  If  he  had  used  paper  or 
cotton  for  this  purpose,  it  might  bave  absorbed  some  of 
the  nitroglycerin  from  the  dynamite  and  have  become 
exceedingly  dangerous,  exploding  by  the  least  concus- 
sion. 

The  iron  chest,  containing  the  dynamite  and  the  infer- 
nal machine,  was  next  placed  within  the  case,  and  the 
cotton  cloth  was  carefully  packed  on  and  around  it  until 
the  case  was  full.  Then  the  cover  was  securely  nailed 
on,  and  as  a  double  precaution  the  case  was  securely 
enclosed  within  malleable  iron  straps.  It  was  then 
marked  for  Shultz  &  Co.,  the  same  as  the  bales  of  wool 
previously  mentioned. 

Robert  then  made  a  copy  (?)  of  his  invoice,  which,  of 
course,  was  fictitious,  as  there  was  no  original.  This  was 
to  accompany  the  shipment,  and  it  would  allow  the  goods 
to  be  properly  manifested,  obviating  examination.  It 
was  fortunate  for  him  that  the  custom  officials  rigorously 
inspect  imports,  instead  of  exports. 

During  the  afternoon  an  expressman  carried  the  case 
to  the  dock  where  the  ship  was  moored,  and  Robert  ac- 
companied him  to  Sandridge  to  see  that  the  case  was 
properly  handled  and  to  see  it  lowered  into  the  hold  of 
the  ship.  His  villainous  heart  gloated  with  satisfaction 
as  the  infernal  package  disappeared  down  the  hatchway. 
If  the  crew  had  but  known  of  the  base  plot  on  foot  they 


32  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

would  have  been  justified  in  stringing  the  perpetrator  up 
to  the  yard-arm ;  but,  alas !  they  were  ignorant  of  it  and 
the  scoundrel  was  allowed  to  go  his  way. 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  33 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

FRED      SAILS      FOR      HOME. 

For  the  last  few  weeks  Frederick  Young  had  been 
working  almost  night  and  day  to  get  his  business  closed 
up  in  time  to  sail  at  the  appointed  hour.  He  was  cheer- 
ful and  light-hearted,  in  spite  of  the  press  of  business, 
and  his  future  now  looked  bright  and  prosperous. 

Fred  had  managed  the  foreign  branch  with  great  skill, 
and  the  returns  showed  a  marked  increase  since  his  ad- 
vent. He  had  his  father's  assurance  that  on  his  return  to 
New  York  he  would  supersede  him  in  the  firm.  That  is, 
after  he  had  been  the  chief  participant  in  a  brilliant  wed- 
ding which  had  been  set  to  occur  March  31,  1881.  After 
that  important  event  Fred  would  take  his  bride  on  a 
tour,  then  return  and  resume  his  business  career. 

Fred  had  not  seen  Marion  or  heard  her  voice  for  over 
.two  years,  and  he  looked  forward  with  eagerness  to  the 
moment  when  he  could  again  clasp  his  darling  in  his 
arms,  and  rain  loving  kisses  on  that  face  which  he  fairly 
adored.  He  also  longed  to  see  his  kind  parents  and  his 
good  sister,  whom  he  loved  very  much.  He  even  im- 
agined how  glad  Prince,  his  intelligent  St.  Bernard  dog, 
would  be  when  his  master  returned.  Prince  would  not 
forget  him;  he  was  too  sagacious  an  animal  for  that. 
Fred  would  have  been  greatly  surprised  had  someone  told 
him  that  Robert  Clark,  with  whom  he  had  played  in 
happy  childhood  days,  was  now  deliberately  planning 
to  wreck  his  future  happiness  by  ending  his  earthly  exist- 
ence. Ignorance,  however,  is  bliss  many  times,  and  Fred 
continued  on  his  happy  way. 

At  9  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  February  3,  1881,  the 
deep-toned  whistle  of  the  steamship  Polynesia  announced 


34  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

that  she  was  about  to  put  to  sea.  The  usual  hissing  of 
escaping  steam  from  the  valves,  and  the  quick  motions 
of  the  chief  officers  and  their  subordinates  in  putting 
everything  in  ship-shape,  further  attested  that  the  ship 
was  about  to  leave  port.  The  bustle  of  the  passengers, 
freight  handlers,  draymen,  cabmen,  venders  of  fruit  and 
confections,  people  taking  leave  of  their  friends,  and  the 
crowd  of  spectators,  added  to  the  din  and  confusion. 

Fred's  luggage  had  been  brought  down  early  in  the 
morning,  but  he  arrived  just  in  time  to  get  aboard  and 
bid  his  numerous  friends  adieu.  They  were  very  sorry 
to  part  with  their  genial  acquaintance.  As  Fred 
mounted  the  plank  to  go  aboard  he  caught  the  gleam  of 
Robert  Clark's  eyes,  and  Fred  looked  him  squarely  in  the 
face. 

"I  wonder  why  that  man  stares  at  me  so?  I  do  not  re- 
member having  met  him  before,  and  yet,  those  eyes, 
although  wicked  in  appearance,  have  a  familiar  look," 
thought  Fred,  and  then  he  passed  on  and  saw  the  man 
no  more. 


Robert  Clark  had  come  down  to  the  quay  that  morn- 
ing to  see  Fred  with  his  own  eyes  go  aboard  the  ship, 
and  he  staid  on  the  dock  unt  the  Polynesia  had  passed 
from  sight  down  Port  Phillip  Bay.  Then  he  gave  vent 
to  an  exclamation  of  satisfaction,  that  his  scheme,  thus 
far,  had  gone  well,  and  in  an  exultant  frame  of  mind  he 
ordered  his  cabman  to  carry  him  back  to  the  city,  and  he 
soon  arrived  at  the  hotel. 

After  dinner  that  day  he  said: 

"Now  I  must  make  tracks  for  Egypt,  and  after  a  few 
months  I  will  write  the  old  folks  at  home  that  I  have  just 
returned  from  the  White  Nile,  and  what  I  think  of  Vic- 
toria and  Albert  Nyanza,  and  so  on.  Then  I  will  return 
to  the  metropolis  and  win  sweet  Marion  by  fair  means 
or  foul.     Ha,  ha,  ha!     That  was  quite  a  little  scheme  on 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  35 

my  part !    Well,  Fred  Young  will  never  trouble  me  again, 
unless  I  am  very  much  mistaken!" 

A  week  later  Robert  Clark  left  Australia,  incognito,  as 
he  had  come,  and  returned  to  Cairo,  where  we  will  leave 
him  for  the  present. 


36  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

A     DISASTER     AT     SEA. 

Fred  had  taken  no  time  for  pleasure  and  recreation 
since  he  left  home,  and  it  was  now  a  chang^e  and  a 
great  pleasure  to  stand  on  the  deck  of  the  Polynesia  and 
have  the  exhilarating  sea  breeze  play  on  his  pale  face 
and  to  inhale  the  pure  air  impregnated  with  the  odor  of 
the  salt  water. 

The  Polynesia  was  nearly  new  and  she,  in  good  weather, 
could  make  between  seventeen  and  eighteen  knots  an 
hour.  She  was  cleanly  built;  had  two  masts,  and  carried 
canvas  to  save  coal  when  the  wind  was  fair.  Her  di- 
mensions, were  320  feet  over  all;  forty-two  feet  beam; 
depth  seventeen  feet  and  gross  capacity  3,158  tons.  Her 
saloons  and  staterooms  were  finely  furnished,  and  Captain 
Handford,  her  commander,  was  pleasant  and  sociable, 
so  there  was  no  apparent  reason  why  those  on  board 
should  not  enjoy  the  trip  to  Callao. 

In  about  an  hour  after  leaving  Sandridge  and  Williams- 
town,  which  are  three  miles  below  the  city  proper  and  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Yarra  River,  those  places  had  been  left 
far  in  the  rear,  and  the  ship  was  passing  between  Point 
Lonsdale  and  Point  Nepean.  After  clearing  the  capes 
she  headed  a  little  north  of  east  to  pass  through  Bass 
Strait,  when  they  would  enter  the  South  Pacific,  leaving 
Tasmania  on  their  right  and  Victoria  on  the  left. 

Nearly  a  straight  course  could  be  laid  from  this  point 
to  Callao,  only  a  few  deviations  having  to  be  made 
among  the  Polynesian  islands. 

After  getting  into  deep  water  a  full  head  of  steam  was 
given  the  engines;  the  hull  vibrated,  while  the  inky- 
black  smoke  which  poured  from  the  funnels  could  be 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  37 

traced  by  the  eye  to  the  horizon.  The  patent  log  then 
indicated  a  speed  of  seventeen  knots. 

Fred's  spirits  were  constantly  on  the  rise,  as  every 
revolution  of  the  screws  carried  him  nearer  his  loved  ones 
at  home. 

But  just  a  glimpse  of  the  outlying  islands  of  Tasmania 
was  caught,  and  even  Fred  could  not  get  a  view  of  the 
mainland  through  his  powerful  glasses.  The  ship  was 
keeping  too  near  the  Australian  coast  for  one  to  see  Tas- 
mania. Fred  knew,  however,  that  a  beautiful  island, 
comprising  24,600  square  miles  within  its  borders  and 
covered  with  rich  vegetation,  was  just  below  the  south- 
ern horizon.  He  could  seem  to  see  the  interior  moun- 
tains, which  reach  an  altitude  of  5,000  feet  or  more,  with 
great  elevated  lakes  nestling  among  them,  some  of  the 
lakes  being  4,000  feet  above  the  sea  level.  Then  he  could 
see,  in  his  imagination,  the  tiny  cable  threading  its  way 
through  the  subterranean  depths  of  Bass  Strait  and  con- 
necting Tasmania  with  Australia.  And  he  knew  that  by 
means  of  that  potent  force,  electricity,  intelligence  was 
constantly  passing  between  the  sister  colonies.  He 
turned  from  the  south  with  a  sigh  and  gazed  ahead  at  the 
playful  sea-birds  as  they  skimmed  in  graceful  circles 
over  the  dark-blue  ocean. 

The  fourth  day  out  North  Cape,  the  northern  ex- 
tremity of  New  Zealand,  was  sighted  in  the  distance. 
This  cape  is  about  1,500  miles  from  Melbourne,  so  it  will 
be  seen  that  the  ship  had  made  good  time  thus  far.  In 
fact  the  sea  had  been  reasonably  calm,  only  a  light  trade 
wind  had  been  encountered,  so  the  Polynesia  had  serenely 
plowed  the  deep  at  her  maximum  speed. 

The  following  seven  days  were  spent  with  great  en- 
joyment by  the  passengers,  for  good  weather  still  pre- 
vailed. Occasionally  the  ship  would  run  quite  near 
some  of  the  numerous  islands,  and  those  on  board  were 
charmed  with  the  fine  views  afforded. 

Some  of  these  islands  were  of  volcanic  origin,  with  one 


38  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

or  more  rugged  mountain  peaks  near  the  center,  while 
massive  buttresses  of  jagged  rock  extended  to  the  coral- 
bound  shore.  Around  the  beach  and  part  way  up  the 
precipitous  slopes,  the  most  luxuriant  tropical  vegetation 
grew  in  unlimited  abundance  and  variety.  Palms  of 
many  species  nodded  their  heads  in  the  breeze,  and 
scantily  clad  natives  could  occasionally  be  seen  on  the 
shore  watching  the  ship,  amazed  at  the  handiwork  of 
their  superiors.  Through  the  glass  some  of  these  natives 
appeared  hideous,  with  their  faces  bedaubed  with  cocoa- 
nut  oil  mixed  with  colored  pigments. 

As  the  ship  progressed  eastward  the  great  atoll  zone 
was  entered,  and  these  peculiar  coral  formations  were 
occasionally  seen.  Some  of  them  entirely  inclosed  the 
central  lagoon,  but  the  majority  were  broken  on  the  lee- 
ward side,  so  that  the  ocean  waves  constantly  washed 
into  the  interior  briny  lakes.  Sand  and  refuse  have 
drifted  and  washed,  by  the  ceaseless  action  of  the  wind 
and  tides,  upon  the  encircling  reef,  and  after  a  long  period 
have  produced  a  thin  soil,  which  has  become  sparsely 
covered  with  vegetation.  Cocoanut  palms  are  almost 
always  present  on  these  islands,  and  they  form  the  most 
conspicuous  vegetation  on  the  atolls.  Nearly  all  the 
species  of  trees  and  plants  found  on  the  coral  shores  pro- 
duce seeds  having  thick  external  integuments,  and  this 
accounts  for  their  presence. 

Man  has  never  known  spontaneous  generation  to  oc- 
cur, and  it  has  not  in  this  case.  The  seeds  have  doubt- 
less floated  to  the  atolls  from  other  islands,  and  only  those 
having  good  protection  from  the  saline  medium  which 
brought  them  have  been  able  to  germinate  and  thus 
reproduce  their  kind. 

The  resuscitating  effects  of  this  ocean  voyage,  through 
the  Polynesian  archipelagoes,  could  only  be  fully  appreci- 
ated by  one  who  had  been  closely  confined  to  business 
for  two  years,  as  Fred  had  been. 

He  gradually  made  the  acquaintance  of  the  passengers. 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  39 

but  there  was  but  one  of  his  fellow-countrymen  on  board. 
That  was  Samuel  P.  Ellsworth,  of  Watertown,  New  York. 
This  man  was  about  fifty  years  of  age,  of  a  medium 
height  and  excellent  physique.  His  head  was  rather 
round  and  full ;  his  hair  and  full  beard  were  slightly  gray ; 
his  eyes  were  clear,  frank,  exceedingly  brilliant  for  a  man 
of  his  age,  and  dark,  bluish-gray  in  color;  his  nose  was 
prominent,  but  well  formed;  his  mouth  was  cleanly  cut 
and  firm  and  his  forehead  was  full,  broad,  and  a  phrenolo- 
gist would  have  said  that  it  denoted  great  intellectual 
power.  In  fact,  the  general  contour  of  his  head  implied 
scholarly  instincts  and  great  mental  endurance.  The 
conversational  powers  of  this  man,  Fred  thought,  were 
unexcelled;  he  seemed  to  be  a  man  with  a  very  retentive 
memory  and  a  clear  understanding,  especially  of  those 
scientific  subjects  which  are  so  wonderful  and  interesting, 
but  of  which  the  majority  of  people  are  ignorant  and  for 
which  they  really  seem  to  have  an  antipathy.  This  man 
appeared  to  be  well  read,  liberally  educated,  and  he  had 
evidently  traveled  a  great  deal.  He  was  constantly  on 
the  alert  for  anything  instructive,  and  his  eye  took  in 
everything  of  interest  with  quick  perception. 

Fred  made  Mr.  Ellsworth's  acquaintance  before  the 
Polynesia  had  been  at  sea  twenty-four  hours,  and  they 
mutually  observed  and  enjoyed  everything  that  occurred 
around  them.  They  soon  confided  in  each  other.  Mr. 
Ellsworth  said  he  had  been  studying  the  Tasmanian  fauna 
and  fiora  for  the  past  three  years,  under  the  auspices  of 
the  University  of  Watertown,  and  the  geology  of  the 
island  on  his  own  account. 

As  the  ship  proceeded  on  her  voyage  there  was  some- 
thing new  to  talk  about  almost  constantly,  so  the  days 
passed  very  pleasantly.  The  scientist  told  Fred  the 
name  of  every  species  of  aquatic  bird  that  they  saw;  all 
about  their  peculiarities  of  nidification  and  general  habits. 
Such  fishes  and  mammals  as  were  seen  in  the  sea  he  was 
also  familiar  with,  and  he  never  failed  to  give  Fred  a 


40  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

popular  account  of  each  one  tliat  appeared.  He  also 
expounded  on  the  islands  that  they  passed;  he  spoke  of 
their  probable  ag"e,  original  formation,  the  people  who 
now  inhabit  them,  their  manners  and  customs,  their  his- 
tories and  an  endless  variety  of  subjects.  In  fact,  Mr. 
Ellsworth  represented  the  circle  of  knowledge ;  he  was  a 
veritable  walking  encyclopedia,  and  his  knowledge  was 
classified  and  indexed,as  it  were, for  immediate  reference. 

After  leaving  North  Cape,  New  Zealand,  the  ship  next 
passed  to  the  south  of  the  Kermadec  Islands,  then  about 
thirty  miles  south  of  the  Austral  group,  when  she  en- 
tered the  labyrinth  of  the  Taumotu  or  Low  Archipelago, 
passing  just  north  of  Minerva  Island,  and  again  entering 
the  clear  sea.  They  were  then  over  5,000  miles  from 
Melbourne,  and  Callao  was  but  a  little  over  2,000  miles 
away. 

Previous  to  the  thirteenth  day  from  port,  fine,  clear 
weather  prevailed,  but  on  this  day  a  dense  fog  was  en- 
countered, but  fortunately  the  ship  had  cleared  the  great 
island  groups  and  she  was  now  favored  with  plain  sailing, 
or  steaming  rather.  This  fog  continued  throughout  the 
night  and  it  was  as  thick  as  ever  on  the  following  morn- 
ing, which  was  the  17th  day  of  February.  The  whistle 
was  blown  periodically  to  obviate  a  collision  with  other 
ships,  and  after  a  time  the  regularity  of  these  danger 
signals  became  exceedingly  monotonous  to  the  passen- 
gers; but  this  is  something  we  all  have  to  put  up  with 
when  at  sea. 

The  series  of  panoramic  views,  which  had  been  so  en- 
trancing to  Fred  and  his  friend,  were  now  cut  ofT  by  the 
moisture-laden  air;  the  fog  was  so  thick  that  one  coulc' 
not  see  five  yards  from  the  sWp. 

About  2  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  when  nearly  all  the 
passengers  were  on  deck,  a  little  excitement  was  created 
by  the  advent  of  a  huge  shark.  He  came  quite  close  to 
the  stern  of  the  ship,  and  Captain  Handford  said  that  the 
monster  would   measure   fifteen   feet   in   length.      The 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  41 

greedy  eyes  of  this  great  fish  could  be  plainly  seen  as  he 
dashed  rapidly  through  the  water  like  a  trout  around  a 
bait,  while  his  great  triangular,  dorsal  fin  cut  the  water 
like  a  huge  blade. 

Mr,  Ellsworth  explained  to  the  passengers,  who  had 
collected  aft,  that  this  was  the  "Basking  Shark,"  or 
S'clache  maxima  of  scientists,  called  erroneously  "Sun 
Fish"  by  sailors.  He  further  said :  "This  fish  sometimes 
attains  a  length  of  thirty  feet,  and  by  some  is  considered 
peculiar  to  the  North  Atlantic  fauna,  but  these  large 
fishes  are  great  rovers  and  they  are  liable  to  be  found  in 
any  sea.  This  fish,"  he  continued,  "is  not  very  danger- 
ous, as  the  teeth,  although  numerous,  are  small,  arranged 
in  series,  conical  in  structure,  and  of  not  much  use.  The 
mouth,  however,  is  large  and  capable  of  taking  a  large 
object,  and — 

At  this  juncture,  when  all  were  deeply  interested  in 
the  antics  of  the  cannibal  of  the  sea,  and  when  they  were 
concentrated  aft,  a  column  of  fire  shot  up  forward,  near 
the  pilot-house;  followed  by  a  deafening  detonation. 
The  ship  trembled  from  stem  to  stern,  the  forward  part 
was  a  total  wreck;  one  mast,  the  pilot-house,  two  life- 
boats and  the  greater  part  of  the  deck  had  been  carried 
away.  The  remaining  woodwork  had  caught  fire;  the 
lurid  flames  and  clouds  of  murky  smoke  were  already  roll- 
ing upward,  while  the  shattered  bow  was  rapidly  sinking 
into  the  briny  deep. 

The  passengers  huddled  together  near  the  stern;  the 
women  shrieked  in  terror;  the  men  stood  white  and  mo- 
tionless. Two  or  three  lay  on  the  deck  stunned  by  the 
violent  concussion. 

"What  has  happened?"  they  asked. 

Nobody  answered,  but  the  captain  comprehended  the 
situation  at  a  glance,  and  shouted: 

"Work  lively,  lads!  Clear  away  and  man  the  boats  at 
once!  Everybody  get  life  preservers  right  away,  the 
ship  is  doomed;  she  cannot  float  ten  minutes!" 


42  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

The  men  rallied ;  they  understood,  and  sprang  to  obey 
the  captain's  orders. 

The  Polynesia  was  sinking  fast ;  the  fire  was  rapidly  en- 
croaching on  the  terrified  passengers.  Robert  Clark  and 
his  infernal  machine  had  done  their  fiendish  work. 

One  boat  was  cleared,  lowered  and  floated,  and  the 
women,  children,  four  sailors  and  the  second  mate  em- 
barked and  pushed  ofif. 

Two  casks  of  water,  a  quantity  of  sea-biscuit  and  other 
provisions,  together  with  a  lot  of  spare  canvas,  had  been 
put  into  each  boat. 

"Keep  us  in  sight  until  we  clear  the  other  boat!" 
shouted  the  captain  to  the  second  mate. 

"Ay,  ay,  sir!"   responded  the  mate. 

The  captain,  Mr.  Ellsworth,  Fred  and  the  other  men 
passengers  now  made  hurried  preparations  to  launch  the 
other  boat. 

The  Polynesia  was  already  two-thirds  submerged  and 
she  could  remain  on  the  surface  but  a  moment  longer; 
possibly  her  time  was  limited  to  seconds. 

"Make  all  possible  haste,  or  we  shall  get  caught  on 
board  when  she  sinks!"  said  the  captain. 

The  flames  were  making  rapid  headway  and  it  was 
getting  too  hot  to  comfortably  remain  in  the  stern. 

The  second  boat  was  safely  launched  and  Captain 
Handford  only  remained  on  deck.  He  glanced  over  the 
doomed  ship  to  see  if  any  one  was  left  on  board,  but  the 
deck  appeared  to  be  deserted.  He  then  clambered  over 
the  rail  to  lower  himself  into  the  boat,  but  he  was  a  second 
too  late;  the  ship  gave  a  sudden  lurch  toward  the  life- 
boat, and,  catching  the  small  boat's  rail  under  her  ribbon, 
she  capsized  it  and  the  two  went  down  together  with  a 
sickening,  gurgling  sound.  Clouds  of  steam  arose,  while 
the  water  boiled  and  hissed  as  it  came  in  contact  with  the 
fire. 

The  first  mate,  Mr.  Ellsworth  and  Fred  were  standing 
in  the  boat  when  the  ship  lurched,  and  the  sudden  motion 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  43 

of  the  life-boat  under  their  feet  upset  their  equiUbrium 
and  caused  them  to  fall  backward  and  strike  the  water 
head  first.  It  was  the  salvation  of  the  naturalist  and  Fred, 
for  it  cleared  them  from  the  boat,  and  as  they  had  taken 
the  precaution  to  secure  life  preservers  before  leaving  the 
ship  they  immediately  came  to  the  surface  unharmed. 

The  poor  mate  fared  differently;  when  he  took  the 
backward  somersault  his  head  struck  a  piece  of  floating 
wreckage,  which  evidently  stunned  him,  so  he  could  do 
nothing  to  save  himself,  and  unfortunately  he  had  no 
life-belt.     He  was  never  seen  again. 


44  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 


CHAPTER  X. 

IN     A     LIFE-BOAT     ON     THE     BROAD     PACIFIC. 

When  Mr.  Ellsworth  and  Fred  came  to  the  surface  not 
a  soul  could  be  seen.  Even  the  first  life-boat,  the  com- 
mander of  which  the  captain  had  admonished  to  keep  the 
ship  in  sight,  was  now  lost  to  view  in  the  dense  fog. 

All  those  that  were  engulfed  with  the  Polynesia  were 
doubtless  drowned,  as  none  arose  to  the  surface. 

The  dynamite  had  done  terrible  work;  souls  had  been 
sent  to  eternity;  a  valuable  ship  and  her  cargo  were  lost, 
and  it  was  all  done  to  satisfy  the  animal  nature  of  one 
man.  But,  after  all,  Robert  Clark's  villainous  scheme 
had  been  a  failure  in  one  sense,  for  his  enemy,  Frederick 
Young,  had  escaped  the  dangers  of  the  wreck,  though 
he  was  adrift  in  the  South  Pacific  and  hundreds  of  miles 
from  land.  Was  he  to  escape  from  his  perilous  position? 
The  sequel  will  tell. 

"Let  us  keep  each  other  in  sight  and  collect  what 
wreckage  will  be  of  use  to  us  before  it  floats  away," 
shouted  Fred  to  his  friend. 

Fred  had  become  proficient  at  swimming,  thanks  to  his 
college  training,  and  his  elderly  companion  was  no  less 
skilled  in  the  art,  and  it  now  came  in  to  their  advantage. 

Fred  struck  out  for  a  mass  of  splintered  woodwork 
which  had  been  thrown  from  the  ship  by  the  explosion. 
There  was  a  piece  of  cordage  attached,  which  he  removed 
and  made  into  a  coil  about  his  neck. 

Next  he  espied  three  dark  objects,  nearly  submerged, 
just  ahead  of  him.  Upon  examination  they  proved  to  be 
casks,  and  he  thought  they  must  contain  something 
heavier  than  air  or  they  would  be  more  buoyant.     After 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  46 

a  few  moments  of  skillful  work  he  succeeded  in  fastening 
the  casks  together  with  the  piece  of  cordage. 

Here  Fred  was  interrupted  in  his  work  by  the  scientist, 
who  was  shouting. 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Fred,  as  he  turned  in  the  water 
so  he  could  see  Mr,  Ellsworth. 

A  long,  dark  object  was  floating  some  six  or  seven 
rods  from  Fred,  and  Mr.  Ellsworth  was  cHnging  to  it. 

"Come  and  help  me,  please;  the  Ufe-boat  has  risen." 

"All  right,"  Fred  replied,  and  he  immediately  com- 
menced to  swim  toward  the  boat,  towing  the  three  casks 
after  him.  It  was  slow  work,  but  as  the  sea  was  calm 
he  made  snail-like  progress. 

While  swimming  Fred's  mind  for  some  unaccountable 
reason  reverted  to  the  huge  shark  he  had  been  gazing 
at  but  a  short  time  before.  What  if  the  monster  should 
again  make  his  appearance?  The  very  thought  caused  a 
chill  to  creep  down  his  back. 

The  Hfe-boat  had  really  come  to  the  surface,  and  right 
side  up,  too,  but  it  was  brimful  of  water  and  only  the  bow 
and  the  top  of  the  gunwales  projected  from  the  sea.  The 
oars  were  gone. 

The  poor  men  who  went  down  with  the  boat  did  not 
rise.  Perhaps,  even  then,  sharks  and  other  voracious 
fishes  were  quarreling  over  the  men's  remains. 

After  a  gallant  struggle  of  five  minutes  Fred  managed 
to  reach  Mr.  Ellsworth  with  the  casks.  He  anchored 
them  to  the  boat  by  tying  the  end  of  the  tow-line  to  a 
ring-bolt  in  the  stern. 

The  naturalist  had  been  trying  to  bail  some  of  the  water 
from  the  boat  with  his  hands,  but  they  were  not  very 
well  adapted  to  the  purpose.  However,  he  had  succeed- 
ed in  removing  some  water,  but  more  by  splashing  than 
by  bailing  it  out. 

Fred  had  retained  his  soft  felt  hat,  and  with  this  he 
commenced  to  transfer  the  water  from  the  boat  to  the  sea, 
while  the  scientist  continued  with  his  hands.     In  three- 


46  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

quarters  of  an  hour  the  water  had  been  lowered  enough 
so  that  one  of  the  workers  could  climb  into  the  boat  over 
the  stern. 

Mr.  Ellsworth  being  the  older,  Fred  helped  him  in. 
Then  the  naturalist  took  Fred's  hat  and  by  using  it  vigor- 
ously with  both  hands,  he  rapidly  lowered  the  water. 

Finally  Fred  got  aboard,  and  in  a  short  space  of  time 
the  boat  was  emptied  of  water  and  it  floated  as  buoyantly 
as  ever;  but  it  was  now  destitute  of  oars,  mast,  sail  and 
rudder.  Before  the  boat  was  sucked  below  the  surface 
it  was  provided  with  all  these  conveniences  and  necessi- 
ties. 

The  three  casks  were  hauled  into  the  boat,  and  then  the 
two  men  paddled  with  two  large  splinters  of  oak  board, 
which  they  had  picked  up.  They  worked  industriously 
collecting  what  wreckage  they  thought  would  be  of  any 
value  to  them.  They  found  the  shattered  foremast,  with 
boom,  gafif,  sail  and  ropes  attached.  This  mast  had  been 
carried  away  at  the  time  of  the  explosion.  They  took  all 
the  rope  and  canvas,  and  also  the  gaff,  with  which  they 
proposed  to  improvise  a  mast  for  the  life-boat. 

Further  search  revealed  two  more  casks,  and  what  was 
very  valuable  to  the  survivors,  the  rudder.  So  with  what 
they  had  it  required  no  great  ingenuity  for  them  to  con- 
vert the  life-boat  into  a  respectable  saihng  craft,  but  two 
hours  were  consumed  in  the  work.  When  it  was  com- 
pleted darkness  was  near  at  hand. 

They  next  sat  down  to  discuss  their  troubles  and  to  de- 
cide how  to  extricate  themselves  from  the  predicament 
into  which  they  had  fallen. 

Mr.  Ellsworth,  after  a  few  moments'  meditation,  said: 

"We  must  be  nearly  2,000  miles  from  the  American 
coast,  and,  I  think,  about  300  miles  east  of  the  Dangerous 
Archipelago;  so  if  we  sail  to  the  west  we  will  probably 
sight  some  of  the  numerous  islands  which  lie  in  that  di- 
rection." 

"That  is  my  opinion  also,  but  as  we  have  no  compass 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  47 

and  are  enshrouded  in  fog,  I  think  we  will  have  to  drift 
until  fair  weather  sets  in,"  said  Fred. 

"Exactly,  and  in  the  meantime  I  would  suggest  that  we 
ascertain  what  these  casks  contain.  I  feel  greatly  in  need 
of  food  to  recruit  my  strength." 

"Now  that  you  remind  me  of  it,  I  feel  a  certain  inani- 
tion, too;  but,  truly,  I  did  not  realize  it  before,"  returned 
Fred. 

They  next  examined  the  casks. 

Presently  Fred  said: 

"This  one  contains  water;  at  least  it  is  so  branded  on 
this  head." 

"And  this  one  is  likewise  marked.  I  trust  some  of 
them  contain  something  more  substantial  than  water," 
remarked  the  scientist. 

"Ah!  here  is  one  branded  'sea-biscuit,'"  exclaimed 
Fred. 

Two  casks  proved  to  contain  fresh  water  and  three 
hardtack.  This  was  fortunate,  as  these  two  men  might 
have  to  be  at  sea  some  time  in  their  frail  little  craft. 

After  considerable  effort  on  Fred's  part  he  succeeded 
in  breaking  in  one  of  the  heads  of  a  cask  of  biscuit  with 
a  piece  of  plank,  and  with  his  knife  he  managed  to  punc- 
ture a  water-cask,  so  they  supped  that  night  on  bread  and 
water.  But  it  was  eaten  with  gusto  by  the  castaways, 
who  were  ravenously  hungry. 

The  labors  to  which  they  had  subjected  themselves 
during  the  afternoon  had  sharpened  their  appetites. 
Their  hands  necessarily  served  as  drinking  cups,  but  the 
water  was  just  as  refreshing  as  if  it  had  been  sipped  from 
golden  vessels. 

By  the  time  supper  was  over  darkness  had  come.  The 
night  was  divided  into  watches.  Fred  was  to  remain 
awake  and  look  out  for  any  danger  there  might  be,  until 
midnight,  when  he  was  to  awake  his  companion,  who 
would  watch  until  morning. 

Thanks  to  the  superior  workmanship  of  their  time- 


48  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

pieces,  the  salt  water  had  not  penetrated  the  joints,  con- 
sequently the  works  remained  uninjured  and  the  two  men 
knew  the  correct  time. 

They  had  no  matches,  and  as  everything  was  wet  and 
sticky  it  proved  to  be  an  extremely  uncomfortable  night. 

At  last,  daylight  came;  the  fog,  however,  was  as  heavy 
and  dense  as  on  the  preceding  day,  but  about  sunrise  a 
light  breeze  sprang  up  from  the  east  and  the  mist  soon 
began  to  break.  When  the  sun  had  gotten  two  hours 
high  the  fog  clouds  had  become  entirely  dissipated  and 
the  solar  orb,  by  his  radiations,  caused  the  sea  to  sparkle 
as  if  it  were  set  with  gems  of  the  first  water. 

The  two  men  scanned  the  ocean  closely;  the  horizon 
presented  a  circle  unbroken  by  any  object,  while  the  sea 
on  all  sides  was  a  barren  waste  of  water.  Not  a  sail;  not 
a  column  or  cloud  of  smoke,  nor  a  sign  of  the  other  boat 
gladdened  their  sight. 

"The  second  mate  and  his  crew  evidently  got  farther 
away  from  us  yesterday  than  they  intended,  and  lost  us  in 
the  fog,"  remarked  Fred. 

"No  doubt,  and,  too,  they  might  have  struck  a  strong 
current  which  did  not  influence  us,  or  vice  versa,  and 
thus  we  became  widely  separated,"  returned  Mr.  Ells- 
worth. 

"It  will  be  useless  to  look  for  them,  or  even  to  expect 
to  meet  them  again,  I  suppose.  But,  then,  we  may  acci- 
dentally come  together,  for  they  will  evidently  sail  to  the 
west,  as  the  nearest  land  lies  in  that  direction,"  said  Fred, 
rellectively. 

"You  must  remember,  Fred,  that  the  ocean  is  very 
large,  and  that  our  chance  of  again  meeting  our  fellow- 
passengers  is  correspondingly  small,"  returned  the  natu- 
alist. 

"Well,  to  change  the  subject,  Mr.  Ellsworth,  do  you 
not  think  we  had  better  hoist  our  sail?" 

"Yes,  for  the  breeze  is  now  strong  enough  for  us  to 


FREDERICK    YOUNa.  49 

make  headway,  and  if  we  sail  to  the  west  we  will  be 
favored  with  a  fair  wind." 

"Are  we  not  too  far  away  from  the  American  coast  to 
attempt  to  reach  it?" 

"Certainly,  it  would  be  foolhardy  to  make  such  an  at- 
tempt, for  it  is  surely  2,000  miles  away,  while  the  Low 
Archipelago  cannot  be  more  than  three  or  four  hundred 
miles  to  the  west." 

"And  we  must  be  guided  on  our  course  by  the  sun,  for 
we  have  no  compass,"  said  Fred. 

"Assuredly,  the  sun  by  day  and  the  stars  by  night  shall 
guide  us." 

The  roughly  rigged  sail  was  hoisted.  It  bagged  con- 
siderably, but  nevertheless  it  served  its  purpose  admira- 
bly, as  was  made  evident  by  the  eddies  left  astern  and  the 
rippling  of  water  around  the  bow.  Yes,  the  life-boat  was 
moving,  and  she  was  headed  a  few  points  south  of  west. 
Fred  took  the  tiller  and  held  her  as  steadily  on  her  course 
as  an  experienced  seaman  could  have  done. 

It  was  a  beautiful  morning;  there  was  a  gentle  ripple 
on  the  dark-blue  ocean  in  addition  to  the  ordinary  swell, 
which,  in  the  sunlight  scintillated  resplendently.  The  sky 
was  of  a  clear  cobalt-blue  tint  and  numerous  white,  fleecy 
clouds  scudded  over  its  surface;  they  were  all  moving 
westward,  and  it  almost  seemed  that  they  were  racing 
the  life-boat.  The  atmosphere  had  that  soft,  balmy  ap- 
pearance which  no  pen  can  adequately  describe,  but 
which  all  who  have  traveled  in  or  near  the  tropics  are  fa- 
miliar with.  The  monotony  of  their  surroundings  was 
occasionally  broken  by  a  frigate  pelican,  with  gular  pouch 
distended,  or  a  petrel,  or  an  albatross  silently  skimming 
over  the  cerulean  sea.  Then,  occasionally  a  denizen  of 
the  deep  would  disport  on  the  surface. 

Mr.  Ellsworth  enjoyed  himself  in  spite  of  the  hardships 
through  which  he  had  recently  passed.  He  took  pleas- 
ure in  observing  the  birds  and  fishes  and  classifying 
them  in  accordance  with  the  best  nomenclature.     Durin^r 


50  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

the  day  he  saw  and  recognized  numerous  species  of  gulls, 
petrels,  terns,  phalaropes,  shearwaters,  jagers  and  many 
other  interesting  birds. 

Mr.  Ellsworth  and  Fred  had  removed  part  of  their  wet 
clothes,  and  they  soon  dried,  as  also  did  those  that  were 
not  removed. 

The  sun  soon  got  unbearably  hot,  and  Mr.  Ellsworth 
erected  an  awning  over  the  stern  with  the  spare  canvas 
and  some  pieces  of  wood  from  the  wreck,  which  he  used 
as  stanchions.  This  alleviated  the  uncomfortableness  of 
the  scorching  solar  rays  to  a  great  extent. 

"Mr.  Ellsworth,"  said  Fred  after  a  long  silence,  "how, 
in  your  mind,  was  that  explosion  caused  which  wrecked 
the  Polynesia  yesterday?" 

"Well,  Fred,  that  is  a  difficult  matter  to  decide  upon, 
especially  when  I  am  ignorant  of  what  the  cargo  consisted. 
It  was  not  a  boiler  explosion,  for  it  was  too  far  forward, 
and  then  there  was  no  steam  to  speak  of.  In  all  proba- 
bility there  was  a  quantity  of  some  powerful  explosive  in 
the  hold,  and  through  some  means,  unknown  to  us,  it 
exploded." 

"It  was  an  unfortunate  affair,  and  many  good  men,  not 
to  mention  the  ship  and  her  cargo,  were  lost  through  it," 
Fred  remarked. 

The  boat  kept  steadily  on  her  way  during  the  forenoon. 
Not  a  sail  nor  a  bit  of  land  did  the  two  men  see;  the  il- 
limitable expanse  of  ocean  apparently  remained  un- 
changed, although  they  must  have  moved  many  miles  to 
the  westward. 

Just  after  partaking  of  their  frugal  dinner,  which  in 
substance  was  necessarily  a  repetition  of  their  previous 
meals,  Fred  said: 

"Mr.  Ellsworth,  has  it  occurred  to  you  that  our  de- 
liverance from  the  dangers  to  which  we  were  subjected 
yesterday  must  have  been  a  decree  of  Divine  Providence?" 

"It  has  not,  Fred,  because  I  do  not  attribute  it  to  a  di- 
vine power,  but  to  a  natural  sequence  of  natural  events. 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  51 

The  hand  that  caused  that  explosion  to  occur  was  not 
staid  by  Divine  Providence;  yet  if  it  had  been  many  lives 
and  much  property  would  have  been  saved.  If,  when  we 
were  about  to  embark  in  this  boat  yesterday,  the  sinking 
of  the  ship  had  been  postponed  by  the  Omnipotent  but  a 
few  moments  many  lives  would  have  been  spared. 

"No,  Fred,  my  experience  has  taught  me  not  to  regard 
these  things  as  being  the  work  of  a  divine  hand.  Study 
the  past  and  you  will  notice  that  the  natural  forces  of 
nature  have  always  been  merciless  in  their  dealings  with 
men,  and,  in  fact,  with  all  organic  beings.  No  warning 
was  given  to  the  people  of  Pompeii  and  Herculaneum  on 
that  awful  day  in  the  year  79  A,  D.,  when  Vesuvius  pre- 
cipitated ashes  and  hot  water  upon  those  fated  cities. 
And  yet  we  cannot  think  that  all  of  their  inhabitants  were 
so  wicked  that  their  Creator  wanted  to  destroy  them. 
Recent  excavations  have  taught  us  otherwise;  we  have 
learned  that  those  unfortunate  people  were  completely 
surprised  while  pursuing  their  various  vocations.  Their 
destruction  was  caused  by  the  two  elements,  carbon  and 
oxygen  coming  in  contact  and  forming  confined  combus- 
tion, which  necessarily  culminated  in  an  eruption. 

"If  you  were  to  search  the  records  carefully  you  could 
sum  up  thousands  of  instances  where  people  have  been 
maimed  and  killed  in  the  very  act  of  worship,  and  by  the 
violence  of  natural  forces.  Clergymen  have  fallen  dead 
in  their  pulpits  when  preaching  the  alleged  word  of  God 
to  their  parishioners;  church  spires  have  been  struck  by 
lightning  when  services  were  being  held  in  the  churches, 
and  as  a  consequence  hundreds  of  people  have  perished 
in  that  way.  If  we  study  statistics  perhaps  we  will  note 
that  more  churches,  in  proportion  to  their  number,  com- 
pared with  other  structures,  have  been  struck  by  electri- 
cal discharges  than  dwelling  houses  or  public  buildings. 
This  is  caused  by  the  prominent  spires,  which  offer  an 
excellent  conductive  medium  for  the  lightning. 

"To  return  to  the  events  of  yesterday.     Our  friends 


53  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

lost  their  lives  through  the  life-boat  being  submerged  by 
suction,  which  was  caused  by  the  sinking  ship.  The 
boat  came  to  the  surface  because  it  was  constructed  of 
wood  and  had  air  compartments,  and  was,  consequently, 
lighter  than  the  medium  in  which  it  was  immersed.  The 
casks  of  fresh  water  were  lighter  than  the  salt  water  of  the 
ocean,  and  the  same  may  be  said  of  everything  that  arose. 

"We  were  fortunate  enough  to  escape  the  dangers  to 
which  we  were  exposed  and  to  find  many  things  which 
were  useful  to  us.  Our  escape  I  attribute  wholly  to  the 
fact  that  we  did  not  happen  to  be  in  the  way  of  those  nat- 
ural forces  which  sent  our  fellow  passengers  to  eternity, 
and  not  to  any  divine  intervention." 

"Truly,  Mr,  Ellsworth,  there  seems  to  be  considerable 
logic  in  your  remarks,  but  I  have  been  taught  from  in- 
fancy to  regard  these  things  in  a  different  light.  I  was 
admonished  to  thank  our  Father  in  heaven,  who  reigns 
supreme  over  the  universe,  for  those  things  that  are 
granted  us  for  our  personal  welfare  and  earthly  good," 
said  Fred,  reverently. 

"I  was  taught  that  also,"  said  the  naturalist,  "and  I  was 
sent  to  a  sectarian  college — to  a  Methodist  institution — 
to  study  for  the  ministry,  but  I  had  a  predilection  for 
natural  history  and  the  sciences.  I  read  all  the  books  and 
periodicals  that  were  devoted  to  my  favorite  subjects  that 
I  was  able  to  procure  and  could  find  time  to  peruse.  I 
liked  to  study  geology,  astronomy,  botany,  mammalogy, 
ornithology,  embryology  and  kindred  sciences.  I  read 
the  works  of  Aristotle,  Kepler,  Herschel,  Dana,  Gray,  Dar- 
win, Audubon,  Wilson  and  in  later  years,  Giekie,  Huxley 
and  Wallace.  The  words  of  these  great  men  had  a  potent 
influence  over  my  future,  and  when  I  left  college  I  refused 
to  follow  the  life  for  which  I  had  been  fitted.  I  devoted 
body  and  soul  to  science,  and  I  have  never  regretted  that 
I  did  so. 

"Of  course  the  university  curriculum  included  some  of 
the  studies  which  I  was  partial  to,  but  they  were  re- 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  63 

stricted  in  their  scope;  they  were  taught  in  an  elementary 
form  so  that  a  student  was  unable  to  obtain  liberal  ideas 
out  of  any  of  them.  Such  is  the  method  in  our  theologi- 
cal institutions  to-day.  In  fact,  it  would  be  unwise  for 
the  faculty  to  teach  the  sciences  exhaustively.  It  would 
engender  much  discord  if  they  did  so." 

"Why  do  you  say  that?"  asked  Fred. 

"Because  the  records  of  the  ancients,  excluding  history 
and  the  modern  sciences,  do  not  harmonize,  and  this  fact 
might  have  a  tendency  to  divert  the  minds  of  the  students 
into  other  channels  of  thought,  and  they  might  become 
estranged  from  the  calling  which  they  had  originally 
intended  to  follow. 

"As  science  gradually  progresses  the  authenticity  of 
many  ancient  ideas  is  doubted  more  and  more.  In  fact, 
our  age  has  indicated  a  remarkable  epoch  in  liberality  of 
action  and  thought,  and  I  think  this  progressiveness  will 
be  augmented  instead  of  being  retarded  by  the  genera- 
tions which  are  yet  to  come.  If  you  doubt  that  this  is  an 
age  of  free  thought  and  action,  you  have  but  to  compare 
the  present  with  the  past,  when  you  will  become  con- 
vinced that  it  is.  For  instance,  remember  how  poor  Gal- 
ileo was  treated  275  years  ago  by  the  papal  church,  be- 
cause he  claimed  that  the  sun  was  immovable  in  the  center 
of  the  world,  or  solar  system,  as  it  is  now  called,  and  that 
the  earth  had  a  diurnal  motion  of  rotation.  This,'  Car- 
dinal Robert  Bellarmine  said,  'was  absurd  in  philosophy 
and  formally  heretical,  because  expressly  contrary  to 
Holy  Scripture.'  Scientific  research  has  since  vindicated 
Galileo  and  proved  that  the  sun  is  stationary  in  the  solar 
system,  although  it  has  a  forward  motion  in  space,  and 
that  the  earth  has  a  daily  motion  of  rotation. 

"If  one  were  to  claim  in  this  modern  age  of  enlighten- 
ment, whether  Jewish  history  advocates  it  or  not,  that  the 
earth  is  the  center  of  the  universe  and  that  the  sun,  plan- 
ets, stars  and  other  celestial  bodies  revolve  around  it,  he 


64  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

might  be  considered  harmless,  but  at  the  same  time  a 
pretty  sure  candidate  for  an  insane  asylum." 

"Well,"  said  Fred,  "if  I  remember  rightly,  Galileo  was 
acknowledged  to  be  correct  by  some  of  the  prominent 
followers  of  the  Roman  Church." 

"That  is  true,  but  years  after  he  was  made  to  recant 
his  theories,  and  then  only  by  a  small  number  of  Roman- 
ists. The  greater  part  stubbornly  refused  to  entertain 
the  idea  that  the  papacy  could  possibly  be  in  error." 

"There  is  an  evolution  of  ideas,  as  well  as  of  species,  as 
the  centuries  roll  by,"  said  Fred. 

"Yes,  indeed.  Regarding  the  history  of  the  Jews,  we 
all  know  that  many  miraculous  events  were  said  to  have 
taken  place  in  ancient  times.  No  doubt  but  that  there 
were  strange  occurrences,  for  in  our  time  occult  manifes- 
tations, which  have  greatly  puzzled  some  of  our  greatest 
scientists,  have  occurred,  and  at  the  present  time  there 
seems  to  be  no  abatement  in  the  aforementioned  manifes- 
tations. Whether  there  are  potent  natural  laws  yet  un- 
discovered or  not  I  do  not  know,  but  I  am  inclined  to 
believe  there  are.  We  shall  probably  never  know,  but 
doubtless  our  posterity  will  fathom  and  understand  what 
is  now  a  mystery  to  us." 

"Then  you  do  not  have  implicit  faith  in  the  records  left 
us  by  the  ancients?" 

"I  do  not,  my  friend;  you  must  take  into  consideration 
the  fact  that  the  deeper  we  penetrate  into  the  history  of 
the  remote  ages  the  nearer  we  come  to  the  savage,  barbar- 
ous man.  And  the  further  we  go  back  the  more  super- 
stition, and,  consequently,  the  more  ignorance  we  en- 
counter. The  records  that  we  have  were  written  by  a 
superstitious  people  who  lived  in  a  mythic  age,  therefore, 
we  must  make  proper  allowances  for  extravagant  ideas; 
imaginary  happenings. 

"Now,  if  we  want  to  get  an  idea  regarding  the  probable 
age  of  the  earth,  we  naturally  first  turn  to  the  ancient 
records.     For  instance,  we  refer  to  a  chronological  table, 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  66 

and  we  read  that  according  to  the  Hebrew  text  of  the 
Scriptures  the  world  was  created  4,004  B.  C. ;  according 
to  the  Samaritan  version  4,700  B.  C,  and  according  to 
the  version  of  the  Septuagint  5,872  B.  C.  Allowing  a 
liberal  margin  to  the  latter  calculation,  it  was  only 
about  8,000  years  ago  that  the  earth  came  into  existence. 
The  ordinary  man  will  think  that  was  a  very  long  time 
ago,  and  then  he  will  pass  on  to  other  things,  but  it  will 
be  decidedly  different  with  the  scientific  m'an.  He  will 
say:  'There  must  be  some  great  mistake  here;  either  the 
records  have  been  wrongly  interpreted,  or  they  were  not 
correctly  written.  No,  surely  8,000  years  is  too  small  a 
period  of  time;  even  if  it  were  tenfold  that  number  it 
would  not  do;  the  earth  is  much  older  than  that.' 

"Why  does  the  scientific  man  shake  his  head  dubiously 
and  say  these  things?  We  will  open  nature's  great  stuue 
book,  that  has  infallible  leaves  of  strata,  and  there  we  will 
find  our  answer. 

"We  will  turn  to  the  geological  records  and  we  will 
read  that  the  human  skull  which  was,  in  1866,  found  in 
the  gold-bearing  gravel  under  Table  Mountain,  near 
Sonora,  California,  encrusted  with  gravel  and  iron  de- 
posits, had  evidently  been  there  previous  to  the  formation 
of  the  mountain  itself.  And  further  that  expert  geolo- 
gists examined  the  gravel  and  the  location  where  the 
skull  was  found  and  that  they  decided  that  the  gravel  had 
not  been  disturbed  since  it  was  alluvially  deposited  there. 
Still  further,  that  some  of  the  best  scientific  scholars  of 
the  United  States,  after  a  very  careful  investigation,  have 
decided  that  the  skull  had  been  under  the  mountain  for 
100,000  years  at  the  least  calculation. 

"If  we  continue  our  investigations  in  the  very  highest 
authorities  extant,  we  will  learn  that  the  prevalent  and 
generally  accepted  conclusion  is,  that  100  million  years 
must  have  elapsed  since  the  first  organic  form  appeared 
on  the  surface  of  our  globe." 

"On  what  are  these  conclusions  based?"  asked  Fred. 


56  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

"The  conclusions  are  based  on  diverse  methods  of  com- 
putation and  procedure,  which  when  summed  up  unitedly 
agree  on  our  planet's  vast  antiquity.  This  fact  lends 
great  strength  to  the  existing  theories.  But,  to  answer 
your  question:  Sir  William  Thomson,  the  well-known 
physicist  and  mathematician,  calculates  the  age  of  the  earth 
by  three  kinds  of  evidence:  First,  the  internal  heat  and 
rate  of  cooling  of  the  earth;  second,  the  tidal  retardation 
of  the  earth's* rotation;  and  third, the  origin  and  age  of  the 
sun's  heat.  The  laws  of  sedimentation  and  erosion  are 
also  much  employed  in  making  calculations  as  to  the  age 
of  the  earth.  By  this  method  the  Post-glacial  period  has 
been  computed  to  represent  7,000  years;  the  Post-Co- 
lumbia, 200,000;  the  Post-Lafayette,  10,000,000;  the 
Cenozoic,  including  the  Lafayette,  90,000,000;  the  Me- 
sozoic,  300,000,000;  the  Paleozoic,  2,400,000,000;  and 
the  age  of  the  earth  as  six  billion  years.  These  calcula- 
tions are  neither  the  minimum  nor  the  maximum  num- 
ber of  years,  but  the  mean  in  each  instance.  This  subject 
is  too  large  for  me  to  deal  with  exhaustively  now  without 
proper  references,  but  by  what  I  have  said  you  will  un- 
derstand that  the  ancient  and  the  modern  computations 
differ  widely." 

"Truly  they  do,  Mr.  Ellsworth,  I  never  knew  that  there 
was  such  a  vast  difference  before.  It  seems  hard  to  real- 
ize that  our  globe  has  lived  so  long,"  remarked  Fred, 
thoughtfully. 

"True,  and  yet  the  casual  observer  cannot  help  re- 
marking that  the  changes  in  the  organic  world  proceed 
very  slowly;  and  in  the  stratified  rocks  of  our  earth  we 
have  convincing  evidence  that  the  whole  fauna  and  flora 
of  this  sphere  have  passed  through  many  revolutionary 
cycles — species,  genera,  families,  disappearing  and  reap- 
pearing in  modified  forms,  and  not  only  once,  but  again 
and  again.  The  geologist  learns  of  these  astonishing 
vicissitudes  in  the  past  organic  world,  from  the  great 
book  of  nature,  which  never  lies.     Its  teachings  may  be 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  6t 

wrongly  interpreted,  but  in  itself  is  embodied  truth  in- 
fallible. It  is  man's  duty  to  learn  the  contents  of  this 
great  compilation,  and  I  am  happy  to  say  that  thousands 
upon  thousands  of  men  are  not  only  willing  but  eager  to 
devote  their  lives  to  this  great  work.  Among  this  vast 
army  of  geologists  there  are  many  who  make  mistakes; 
there  axe  many  who  advance  untenable  theories,  but  on 
the  whole,  they  all  agree  that  a  vast  period  of  time  must 
have  elapsed  since  the  first  protoplasmic  cell  appeared  on 
the  surface  of  the  earth.  A  few  thousand  years,  or  even 
a  few  million  years,  will  not  answer,  but  instead,  it  will,  at 
least,  take  lOO  million  years  to  cover  the  period  in  ques- 
tion, in  the  estimation  of  our  modern  scientific  scholar." 

"How  do  you  suppose  all  the  erroneous,  ancient  ideas; 
the  abundant  mythological  nonsense  of  the  past,  origi- 
nated?   Fred  asked  after  a  few  minutes'  meditation. 

"The  so-called  sages  undoubtedly  invented  a  great 
many  extravagant  ideas  in  order  that  their  standing 
among  their  followers  might  not  decline  and  their  repu- 
tation wane.  And,  then,  dreams  were  probably  directly 
instrumental  in  instituting  many  absurd  fallacies.  If 
dreams,  as  is  claimed,  are  in  anywise  governed  by  the 
thoughts  and  actions  of  the  dreamer  during  the  day, 
surely  the  ancient  dreams  must  have  been  much  more 
extravagant  than  those  experienced  in  our  time. 

"Speaking  of  dreams  reminds  me  of  one  that  I  had 
when  quite  young,  but  it  was  so  peculiar  and  realistic  that 
I  can  vividly  recall  it  now.  In  this  dream  I  saw  a  stately, 
white-robed  figure,  with  long,  flowing,  yellowish  hair, 
which  was  surmounted  by  a  golden  crown.  In  one  hand 
was  a  long-handled  trident  with  a  golden  head.  The 
features  resembled  those  of  Jesus  which  I  had  seen  de- 
picted. The  figure  was  gracefully  seated  on  a  white 
cumulous  cloud,  which  entered  my  range  of  vision  in  the 
south  and  passed  to  the  north,  going  to  the  west  of  me. 
The  figure  had  its  face  turned  toward  me,  and  it  was 
silent  and  motionless  while  in  view.     I  know  not  how  the 


58  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

idea  was  conceived,  but  at  the  time  it  seemed  to  be  a  fact 
that  I  was  gazing  on  the  Omnipotent  himself,  and  I 
looked  at  Him,  not  with  fear  and  trembling — for  I  had 
done  no  wrong — but  with  respect,  and  I  may  say,  with 
awe.  I  have  often  thought  that  if  some  of  the  writers  of 
antiquity  had  had  this  dream  they  would  have  said  that 
it  was  a  vision  wherein  God  personally  appeared  to  them, 
and  it  would  have  been  thus  inscribed  on  their  tablets; 
and  perhaps  many,  even  in  our  day,  would  place  impHcit 
faith  in  the  statement.  But  I  do  not  think  God  revealed 
himself  to  me;  it  was  but  a  dream  pure  and  simple." 

"Mythology  is  still  with  us;  but  it  is  now  used  in 
poetry  more  than  in  prose;  it  is  not  taken  so  seriously 
as  it  used  to  be,"  said  Fred.  "The  people  of  our  time 
are  more  matter-of-fact  than  those  who  lived  before  the 
advent  of  Christ.  We  do  not  now  have  time  to  pursue 
imaginary  beings  and  harbor  puerile  fancies." 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  69 


CHAPTER  XI. 

FRED      SIGHTS      LAND. 

The  boat  held  steadily  to  her  course  throughout  the 
day  and  night;  the  wind  blew  from  the  same  point  and 
the  boat  maintained  her  speed  of  the  morning.  A  great 
many  leagues  of  ocean  were  traversed  during  the  day  and 
night,  but  still  no  land  or  signs  of  human  Ufe  appeared. 

The  following  morning,  after  breakfast,  Mr.  Ellsworth 
revived  and  enlarged  upon  some  of  the  topics  of  the  pre- 
vious day.  Gazing  on  the  waste  of  ocean  became  very 
monotonous,  so  Fred  was  glad  to  have  an  interesting  con- 
versationalist at  hand  to  pass  the  time  away. 

"Fred,"  said  the  scientist,  after  meditating  some  time, 
"has  it  never  occurred  to  you  that  Christians  have  im- 
plicit faith  in  the  Bible,  and  that  Mohammedans  have  un- 
bounded faith  in  the  Koran?" 

"I  have  never  given  the  Koran  much  thought,  Mr. 
Ellsworth." 

"Then  you  will  be  surprised  when  I  tell  you  that  there 
are  over  200  million  people,  in  the  Oriental  countries, 
who  believe  that  the  Koran  is  the  true  word  of  God,  given 
to  the  people  by  the  aid  of  the  prophet  Mohammed.  Such 
is  the  fact,  however,  and  as  the  Koran  is  much  more  ex- 
tensively used  by  its  followers  than  the  Bible  is  by  Chris- 
tians, the  former  is  said  to  be  the  most  widely-read  book 
on  the  globe." 

"Is  it  possible?  And  I  have  never  seen  a  copy  of  the 
book." 

"It  is  not  voluminous,  being  a  trifle  smaller  than  the 
New  Testament.  I  have  often  wondered  which  of  the 
sacred  books  is  correct.  What  do  you  think  about  it, 
Fred?" 


60  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

"The  Bible  is  correct,  of  course." 

"And  if  I  were  to  put  the  same  question  to  a  Moham- 
medan, what  do  you  think  he  would  say?" 

"He  would  undoubtedly  be  willing  to  stake  his  very 
life  on  the  veracity  and  authenticity  of  the  Koran." 

"Exactly,  and  just  think  how  many  different  religious 
ideas  and  beliefs  have  existed  since  the  beginning  of 
human  life  upon  our  globe.  Nearly  every  nation  and 
tribe  from  pre-historic  times  to  the  present,  have  had  re- 
cords or  traditions  of  creation,  and  of  some  being  or 
beings  who  reigned  over  the  universe." 

"Does  not  that  very  fact  indicate  that  there  is  some 
spiritual  connection  between  the  material  and  the  after 
life?  Does  it  not  evidence  the  fact  that  primeval  man  was 
instilled  with  these  ennobling  thoughts  that  he  might 
rise  above  his  lowly  condition,  and  become  so  intelligent 
that  he  would  recognize  the  blessings  showered  upon 
him  by  a  beneficent  God?"  said  Fred,  earnestly. 

"That  analogous  ideas  should  arise  among  different 
people,  at  divers  times  and  in  localities  widely  separated, 
surely  evidences  a  remarkable  coincidence;  and  pure 
science  contends  that  without  a  cause  or  influence  it  is 
inadmissible,"  returned  the  naturalist,  slowly  and  thought- 
fully. 

"Science,  my  friend,  is  incompetent  to  limit  the  power 
of  the  Omnipotent,"  returned  Fred. 

"Scientists,  Fred,  do  not  wish  to  do  anything  of  the 
kind;  they  are  simply  students  of  nature;  they  wish  to 
learn  of  and  thoroughly  understand  the  great  natural 
laws  which  control  the  universe;  they  seek  to  learn  the 
pure  unadulterated  truth,  and  they  are  men  who  can 
accept  the  absolute  truth  whether  it  is  in  harmony  or  at 
discord  with  preconceived  ideas. 

"Now,  to  return  to  the  ancients;  their  Ideas,  whether 
inspirational  or  otherwise,  did  not  go  an  iota  beyond 
their  times.  In  those  days,  according  to  the  ideas  of  the 
people,  the  sun,  moon,  planets,  stars,  and  all  other  celes- 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  61 

tial  bodies,  were  set  in  the  firmament  for  the  especial 
benefit  of  the  terrestrial  inhabitants.  The  sun  to  illumine 
the  earth  by  day,  the  moon  to  rule  by  night,  and  the  stars 
to  stand  for  signs  and  for  seasons.  The  ancients  little 
thought  that  some  of  those  twinkling  points,  which  they 
regarded  as  lights  set  in  the  sky,  were  so  large  that  it 
would  require  22,500  bodies  the  size  of  our  sun  to  radiate 
as  much  light  as  one  of  them.  I  especially  refer  to  Rigel, 
one  of  the  brilliant  gems  of  Orion.  Neither  did  the  an- 
cients suspect  that  light  traveling  at  the  rate  of  5,860,000,- 
000,000  miles  a  year  would  require  490  light  years  to  tra- 
verse the  space  which  lies  between  Rigel  and  the  earth. 

"At  the  time  under  consideration  the  earth  was  thought 
to  be  flat,  and  all  sorts  of  mythical  fancies  were  brought 
forward  to  account  for  the  manner  in  which  it  was  sup- 
ported. In  one  instance  it  was  held  up  by  a  massive 
giant,  in  another  it  rested  on  the  back  of  a  large  elephant 
which  stood  on  the  back  of  a  huge  tortoise.  The  an- 
cients failed  to  tell  us  what  the  giant  or  the  tortoise  rested 
or  stood  upon.  In  those  days  the  earth  was  thought  to 
be  covered  by  a  massive  dome,  and  it  was  supposed  that 
all  the  heavenly  bodies  moved  on  the  interior  surface, 
while  heaven  beautifully  crowned  the  exterior,  occupying 
the  top  like  a  city  on  a  hill.  This  idea  explains  why  peo- 
ple raise  their  hands  or  faces  upward  during  prayer  and 
other  religious  devotions.  This  custom,  to  me,  seems 
very  puerile.  My  reason  I  will  explain.  Supposing  a 
clergyman  lifts  his  hands  in  supplication  to  God  at  the 
morning  service,  and  he  does  likewise  at  the  evening 
meeting.  Are  not  his  hands  pointing  in  nearly  the  oppo- 
site direction  in  the  evening  from  what  they  were  in  the 
morning?  In  other  words,  the  earth,  between  times,  has 
turned  nearly  half  around  on  its  imaginary  axis  and  the 
speaker,  consequently,  has  reversed  his  position,  or  nearly 
so." 

"Mr.  Ellsworth,  I  must  say  that  your  mind  is  filled  with 
many  ideas  which  are  new  to  me.     The  latter  supposition 


62  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

seems  to  be  simple  and  true,  but  as  you  say  or  intimate, 
the  custom  of  raising  the  hands  to  heaven  during  supplica- 
tion is  the  continuation  of  an  old  habit.  As  a  rule,  I 
think  people  now  believe  that  the  after  life  will  be  spent 
in  some  place  that  is  now  unknown  to  us,  or  that  heaven, 
like  God,  is  ubiquitous,  and  that  we  will  be  able  to  go 
where  we  choose." 

"The  latter  idea  is  surely  the  more  consistent  with 
nature,  for  if  heaven  has  a  fixed  place  exterior  to  our 
system,  how  quickly  our  spirits  would  be  left  by  the  earth 
upon  which  we  were  born  and  reared.  I  refer  to  the 
motion  of  the  solar  system  through  space.  Its  velocity 
is  said  to  be  five  miles  a  second,  and  if  we  were  to  remain 
behind  imagine  how  rapidly  the  earth  would  recede  from 
us.  •  Even  when  I  die  I  do  not  want  to  leave  the  dear  old 
earth  for  all  time.  I  should  want  to  visit  all  those  places 
that  I  had  been  unable  to  see  while  in  the  flesh,  and  I  am 
sure  a  righteous  and  just  God  would  not  deny  me  these 
harmless  pleasures.  I  should  then  want  to  visit  the  deep 
recesses  of  the  South  American  and  African  forests,  for 
the  material  animals  and  reptiles  could  not  then  harm  my 
spirit  form;  deadly  bacteria  could  not  then  be  inhaled 
to  pollute  and  to  poison  my  being,  and  I  could  then  enjoy 
all  the  wonders  of  nature  without  hurrying,  for  eternity 
would  then  be  mine.  I  should  want  to  visit  the  abysmal 
depths  of  the  great  oceans  and  study  the  habits  of  the 
peculiar  phosphorescent  forms  which  there  exist  in  total 
darkness  year  in  and  year  out.  I  should  then  visit  the 
poles,  for  neither  extreme  heat  nor  cold  could  then  injure 
me;  I  should  not  expect  to  find  open  seas  there,  for  I  do 
not  think  there  are  any.  It  is  a  place  where  eternal  cold 
reigns  supreme,  and  it  is  against  the  law  of  nature  to  think 
that  liquefied  water  and  intense  cold  can  exist  in  unison. 
Now  we  are  in  uncertainty  regarding  the  condition  of  the 
poles  of  our  earth,  and  where  there  is  uncertainty,  tliere 
are  pretty  sure  to  be  false  ideas ;  but  I  listen  to  them  not, 
for  if  we  cannot  see  our  earthly  poles  we  can  take  a  large 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  63 

telescope  and  examine  the  polar  regions  of  our  neigh- 
boring planet,  Mars.  On  the  Martial  globe  we  see  no 
open  seas  at  the  poles,  but  a  distinctly  white,  circular 
patch,  w^iicli  common  sense  tells  us  is  solid  ice  and 
snow.  If  it  is  thus  on  Mars,  we  can  confidently  say  it 
is  likewise  on  the  earth,  for  the  further  we  enter  the 
realms  of  science  the  more  apparent  it  becomes  to  us 
that  all  the  visible  and  much  of  the  invisible  universe  is 
governed  by  like  laws. 

"But  I  should  not  be  contented  to  visit  terrestrial 
places  only,  I  should  want  to  travel  over  the  rugged 
craters  and  broad  plains  of  our  satellite,  and  then  I  should 
want  to  visit  every  member  of  the  solar  system  in  turn. 
I  could  not  remain  passive  until  our  brilliant  and  fuga- 
cious little  Mercury  had  been  fully  explored;  until  Venus, 
or  Lucifer  of  the  morning  and  Hesperus  of  the  waning 
hours  of  the  day,  as  the  ancients  had  it,  had  been  visited 
and  fully  understood;  until  I  had  traversed  the  ruddy 
continental  areas  and  floated  over  the  blue  lakes  and  green 
seas  of  our  martial  neighbor,  and  then  of  course,  I  would 
have  to  visit  the  diminutive  Deimos  and  Phobos,  before 
leaving  the  magnetic  field  of  Mars;  and  after  that  I  should 
want  to  visit  the  Jovian  system ;  the  Saturnian  rings,  and 
even  far  ofT  Uranus  and  Neptune.  It  might  occupy  thou- 
sands of  years  to  complete  these  tours  through  infinite 
space,  but  it  would  not  matter,  for,  as  I  have  said,  eternal 
time  would  be  mine;  and  I  could  defy  all  sorts  of  specific 
gravities,  as  gravitation  would  then  have  no  effect  on  my 
immaterial  presence.  When  the  solar  system,  even,  had 
been  explored  to  my  entire  satisfaction  I  cannot  possibly 
think  that  I  would  be  contented.  That  would  not  be 
human  nature;  it  would  not  represent  my  own  earthly 
individuality,  and  I  beUeve  one's  natural  characteristics 
are  retained  for  all  time.  I  am  willing  to  admit  that 
natural  tendencies  are  more  or  less  modified  by  external 
environments,  but  I  maintain  that  one's  innate  individu- 
ality is  unchangeable.     But,  I  am  wandering  from  my 


64  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

subject.  I  should,  if  it  were  possible,  want  to  go  to  those 
massive  systems  which  lie  in  the  great  infinite  beyond. 
If  it  were  my  privilege  to  gratify  that  desire,  which  one 
would  I  choose  to  visit,  when  the  great  system  centers 
are  perhaps  represented  by  billions,  trillions,  or  even  quad- 
rillions? Truly,  I  would  be  confused,  but  probably  those 
great  but  distant  suns  which  had  been  attractive  to  me 
when  I  was  on  earth  would  then  lead  me  on  to  know  more 
of  them.  Yes,  the  beautiful  reddish-orange  stars,  An- 
tares,  Betelgeuse  and  Aldebran;  the  immaculate  white 
Sirius  and  Canopus;  the  golden  Arcturus,  Capella  and 
Pollux,  and  the  incomparable  bluish-white  Vega,  would 
all  offer  charming  inducements.  I  cannot  say  which  one 
I  would  choose  first  to  visit,  but  I  will  wait  for  the  hour 
of  decision.  If  it  ever  comes  I  will  be  guided  by  the  im- 
pulse of  the  moment.  Now  I  am  confused!  Lost  in  my 
own  imaginings!" 

"What  a  man  I  What  a  mind !  Are  there  any  more  on 
earth  like  you,  Mr.  Ellsworth?"  Fred  asked,  evincing 
profound  respect. 

"I  do  not  know,  Fred,  but  nature  as  a  rule,  never  pro- 
duces two  beings  precisely  alike,"  said  the  scientist,  smil- 
ing at  his  companion's  remarks. 

"I  am  afraid  all  your  hopes  will  not  be  realized,  Mr. 
Ellsworth,  but  I  trust  that  they  may  be.  The  Bible 
teaches  us  how  to  prepare  for  the  spiritual  life,  but  we  are 
not  told  the  details  of  that  after  life;  in  fact,  our  knowl- 
edge concerning  it  is  extremely  meagre.  The  Scrip- 
tures, although  pregnant  with  admonitions  relating  to 
our  mundane  existence,  do  not  give  us  a  concrete  idea 
of  what  we  are  to  expect  in  the  future.  However,  I  con- 
cur with  you  in  believing  that  God  is  just  and  that  our  in- 
dividual desires,  if  harmless  and  edifying,  will,  in  a  meas- 
ure, be  gratified.  Possibly  the  natural  laws  of  the  universe 
will  be  such,  or  are  such,  that  you  can  fulfill  your  inclina- 
tions, and  visit  those  distant  suns  and  planets  in  which  you 
take  such  a  great  interest.     Be  that  as  it  may,  we  have 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  65 

but  a  little  time  to  wait,  when  we  shall  either  know  about 
these  things  or  pass  into  eternal  obUvion." 

During  the  day  the  life-boat,  under  Fred's  guidance, 
had  been  scudding  before  a  continually  increasing  breeze. 
The  sea  as  a  consequence  became  rougher,  and  the  Uttle 
craft  labored  considerably,  but  nevertheless  she  rode  the 
waves  gallantly  and  covered  many  miles  of  ocean.  How 
many  miles  the  voyagers  had  no  means  of  knowing. 

When  night  again  enshrouded  the  Pacific  no  land  had 
been  sighted,  while  the  wind  had  materially  increased  in 
force,  and  the  sea  was  more  turbulent  than  in  the  morn- 
ing. 

Mr.  Ellsworth  and  Fred  grew  discomforted;  they 
feared  that  their  little  boat  would  meet  with  some  mishap. 
If  the  waves  did  not  swamp  her  she  might  run  upon  some 
coral-reef  in  the  darkness.  The  castaways  knew  that  the 
Dangerous  Archipelago  could  not  be  many  miles  away, 
so  they  kept  a  very  close  watch  during  the  night. 

After  long  hours  of  watching  and  waiting  morning 
came.  To  the  voyager's  great  surprise  the  horizon  was 
still  unbroken  by  land  or  sail. 

"Can  it  be  that  we  have  laid  our  course  too  far  south?" 
questioned  Fred.  "If  so  we  may  not  sight  land  until  the 
Antarctic  Continent  is  reached." 

"We  must  change  our  course  if  we  do  not  sight  some- 
thing in  a  day  or  two,"  returned  the  naturalist  concern- 
edly. 

Hitherto  the  sky  had  been  clear  and  the  sun  had  shone 
brightly;  now  the  heavens  were  becoming  overcast;  the 
sun  grew  dim,  while  the  wind  was  constantly  augmented, 
although  in  an  almost  imperceptible  manner. 

Mr.  Ellsworth  become  cognizant  of  an  increased  at- 
mospheric pressure,  and  he  knew  that  if  he  had  a  barome- 
ter it  would  have  recorded  a  decided  fall  in  the  past  few 
hours.  He  apprehended  a  storm  and  feared  for  its  result. 
During  the  afternoon  he  imparted  his  conclusions  to  his 


66  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

companion,  and  they  took  every  possible  precaution  to 
meet  tlie  expected  storm. 

That  night  the  boat  was  at  the  mercy  of  the  wind  and 
sea,  for  the  stars  were  obscured  and  the  course  could  not 
be  maintained  with  any  degree  of  accuracy.  The  only 
alternative  was  to  sail  directly  before  the  wind,  as  they  had 
been  doing  for  the  past  three  days. 

Although  no  stars  illumined  the  aqueous  surroundings 
of  the  voyagers  that  night,  a  phenomenon  did  occur  which 
materially  modified  the  darkness.  It  was  the  abnormal 
phosphorescence  of  the  sea,  ft'he  unusual  intensity  of 
which  aroused  the  scientific  instinct  of  Mr.  Ellsworth  to 
action. 

For  miles  around  the  sea  resembled  a  lake  of  fire,  and 
the  dashing  waves  but  added  to  the  effect.  Here  and 
there  points  of  more  intensity  of  phosphoric  light  were 
noticeable,  while  a  tenuous  white  smoke  or  vapor  seemed 
to  rise  from  the  sea,  but  it  disappeared  when  but  a  few 
inches  above  the  surface. 

"Mr.  Ellsworth,"  said  Fred,  "this  is  a  wonderful  sight; 
I  have  never  seen  anything  to  equal  it,  although  I  have 
seen  a  phosphorescent  sea  time  and  again.  Can  you 
explain  the  phenomenon?" 

"It  is  generally  understood  by  the  scientific  world  that 
this  class  of  phenomena  is  occasioned  by  myriads  of  ma- 
rine animalcules,  of  a  luminous  nature,  coming  to  the 
ocean's  surface.  This  display,  however,  surpasses  every- 
thing of  the  sort  of  which  I  have  ever  conceived,"  replied 
the  scientist,  becoming  interested  in  the  subject,  and 
oblivious  to  the  dangers  of  their  position. 

"Have  you  noticed  that  there  seem  to  be  spots  or  points 
of  luminosity  more  intense  than  their  surroundings?" 
inquired  Fred. 

"I  have  noticed  the  spots,  and  I  think  they  are  caused 
by  copepods  and  small  crustaceans,  which  have  come  to 
the  surface  in  vast  numbers  for  some  reason,  which  I  am 
at  a  loss  to  explain.    This  phosphoresence  in  raid-ocean 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  67 

is  generally  attributed  to  a  minute  organism,  known  to 
science  as  Pyrocystis.  Occasionally,  however,  it  has  been 
ascribed  to  floating  putrescent  matter." 

"Now,  Mr.  Ellsworth,  may  1  ask  you  how  the  phos- 
phorescence itself  is  accounted  for  by  those  who  have 
investigated  the  matter  analytically?" 

"Well,  my  friend,  on  this  subject  scientists  disagree; 
the  causes  attributed  are  manifold.  Light  is  often  emitted 
from  organic  matter  after  stimulation,  which  may  be 
caused  by  electrical,  chemical  or  mechanical  means.  The 
juxtaposition  of  the  nervous  system  and  the  luminous 
organs  indicates  some  connection  between  them.  The 
phenomenon  may  be  caused  by  the  volition  of  the  animal, 
or  by  the  reflex  stimulation  of  the  sensory  nerves.  It  has 
been  demonstrated  that  carbonic  acid  deadens  this  lu- 
minosity, and  on  the  other  hand  that  oxygen  intensifies  it, 
so  any  student  of  physiology  can  draw  his  own  conclu- 
sions." 

"Then  you  think  it  is  some  form  of  slow  combustion 
wherein  carbon  and  oxygen  chemically  unite?"  inter- 
posed Fred. 

"No  doubt  but  that  those  two  elements  play  an  im- 
portant part  in  the  operation,  but,  I  think  that  fat  cells, 
which  contain  a  small  percentage  of  phosphorus,  are  the 
true  cause  of  the  phenomenon  under  consideration,"  the 
scientist  replied. 

"Is  the  peculiarity  of  any  obvious  advantage  to  those 
organisms  possessing  it?"  questioned  Fred. 

"Yes,  of  decided  advantage;  for  instance,  the  strange 
forms  of  life  brought  up  from  the  abysmal  depths  of  the 
ocean,  where  eternal  darkness  reigns;  where  the  sunlight 
never  penetrates,  are  the  possessors  of  this  apparently 
involuntary  phosphorescence.  These  forms  often  have 
abnormally  large  eyes,  which,  no  doubt,  enable  them  to 
see  the  phosphorescent  bodies  of  their  kind,  as  they  move 
around  in  the  lower  strata,  if  I  may  so  term  it,  of  the  deep 
sea. 


68  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

"The  well-known  glow-worm  is  easily  located  by  the 
opposite  sex  on  account  of  its  luminosity,  and  I  might 
enumerate  many  other  instances  where  animal  organisms 
are  benefited  by  the  possession  of  this  peculiar  property." 

Morning  again  dawned.  For  four  days  and  four  nights 
the  life-boat  had  been  sailing  to  the  southwest.  The  sail 
had  not  been  lowered  during  that  time,  and  it  had  not 
hung  useless  for  a  moment;  the  wind  had  blown  with  a 
steadily  increasing  force  and  the  voyagers  must  have 
traversed  many  hundred  miles  of  sea. 

Mr.  Ellsworth  began  to  think  that  they  had  missed 
the  Lx)w  Archipelago,  or  else  they  had  passed  through 
some  of  the  broad  passages  by  night,  and  now  the  group 
of  islands  was  far  in  the  rear.  It  was  certainly  strange 
that  they  should  entirely  miss  these  islands,  when  they 
are  so  abundant  and  cover  so  wide  an  area. 

In  the  meantime  the  atmospheric  molecules  rushed  on 
in  their  mad  career,  stirring  the  ocean  up  to  a  high  pitch 
of  tumult  and  carrying  the  life-boat  forward  at  a  rapid  rate 
of  speed. 

Fred  unconsciously  let  his  thoughts  wander.  He 
thought  of  Marion  in  far  away  New  York,  and  wondered 
if  he  would  ever  see  her  dear  face  again.  Then  he  thought, 
"we  may  reach  some  land,  or  meet  a  ship  so  that  we  can 
get  home  before  the  loss  of  the  Polynesia  is  made  known 
to  the  public.  If  those  who  embarked  in  the  first  life- 
boat were  fortunate  enough  to  be  spared,  and  reach  some 
port,  they  undoubtedly  will  report  that  the  Polynesia  has 
been  lost  at  sea.  If  they  do  not  reach  land  the  fate  of  the 
steamship  will  not  be  known,  and  she  will  not  be  given  up 
by  her  owners  until  she  is  several  weeks  overdue  at 
Callao;  for  it  will  be  a  matter  of  speculation  whether 
she  has  been  wrecked  or  whether  she  has  met  with  an 
accident  or  adverse  gales,  which  might  have  driven  her 
from  the  great  ocean  routes  and  have  caused  much  delay." 

The  clouds  were  growing  murky  and  the  sea-fowl 
darted  hither  and  thither  uttering  their  hoarse  cries; 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  69 

elated  that  the  prevailing  confusion  of  the  sea  would 
throw  food  to  the  surface  for  them. 

Mr.  Ellsworth  predicted  a  heavy  precipitation  of  rain 
before  nig-ht. 

Just  after  the  mid-day  meal,  on  this  21st  day  of  Febru- 
ary, 1881,  Fred  was  closely  scanning  the  horizon,  when 
he  suddenly  jumped  to  his  feet  and  exclaimed  in  a  joyful 
tone  : 

"Land,  Mr.  Ellsworth!     At  last,  I  see  land!" 

Fred  waved  his  hat  enthusiastically,  but  his  companion 
was  less  demonstrative. 

"In  what  direction,  Fred?"  asked  the  scientist. 

"Almost  in  our  course;   to  the  southwest." 

Yes,  Fred  was  not  mistaken;  but  a  point  or  two  north 
of  their  course,  and  far  ahead,  a  light,  smoky-blue,  coni- 
cal mountain  peak  appeared  on  the  horizon;  a  mere 
speck  in  the  distance. 


70  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

A     MYSTERIOUS     DISAPPEARANCE. 

"Yonder  solitary  summit  is  probably  on  some  volcanic 
island  of  Polynesia,"  said  Mr.  Ellsworth. 

"How  far  away  do  you  think  it  is?"  inquired  Fred. 

"That  is  a  very  difficult  matter  to  decide,  for  we  do  not 
know  whether  that  peak  is  i,ooo  or  5,000  feet  above  the 
sea." 

"That  is  true,  Mr.  Ellsworth,  but  is  there  no  other  way 
to  get  at  the  distance?" 

"The  mountain  appears  very  indistinct,  as  if  we  were 
looking  through  a  great  many  miles  of  atmosphere  at  it; 
and  by  that  fact  I  would  estimate  that  the  peak  is  five 
or  six  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  per- 
haps fifty  or  sixty  miles  away,"  replied  the  naturalist. 

"We  ought  to  reacn  it  before  night  then,  for  this  wind 
must  be  pushing  us  along  at  a  very  rapid  rate,"  said  Fred. 

Fred  changed  the  boat's  course  so  she  headed  directly 
for  the  distant  land. 

The  sea  was  now  running  high  and  white-crested  waves 
were  breaking  on  every  hand,  while  the  wind  blew  with 
more  violence  than  it  had  in  the  morning.  It  was  truly 
astonishing  how  the  life-boat  could  stand  upright  and 
make  headway  in  such  a  sea.  One  moment  it  would  be 
on  the  crest  of  a  monstrous  wave  and  the  next  nearly  out 
of  sight  in  the  trough  of  the  sea. 

At  5  o'clock  that  afternoon  the  island,  for  such  it  ap- 
peared to  be,  was  not  more  than  six  miles  ahead.  It  did 
not  seem  to  be  very  large.  The  peak  which  they  had 
first  sighted  was  in  the  center,  and  it  evidently  reached 
an  altitude  of  5,000  feet.     On  the  west  it  was  flanked  by 


FBEDEBICK    YOUNG.  n 

a  minor  elevation.  These  were  all  the  mountains  that 
could  be  seen  on  the  island. 

No  rain  had  yet  fallen.  If  no  accident  occurred  the 
boat  would  reach  the  land  before  dark. 

"Fred,"  said  Mr.  Ellsworth,  "now  that  land  is  near  by 
we  must  act  wisely  and  not  jump  from  one  predicament 
into  another.  We  have  got  to  land  on  an  unknown  coast ; 
we  know  not  whether  it  is  inhabited  by  white  men  or 
savages;  if  the  latter  we  had  much  better  keep  at  sea 
and  trust  to  luck.  And,  then,  it  will  not  do  to  run  directly 
for  the  rocky  western  coast  in  this  gale  and  in  such  a 
heavy  sea.  Our  boat  would  be  shattered  Uke  an  egg- 
shell if  we  should  get  on  those  rocks,  and  probably  we 
would  share  a  like  fate.  The  boat  must  be  saved;  we 
may  want  to  leave  this  island  in  search  of  more  congenial 
quarters." 

"I  would  suggest  that  we  clear  the  northeast  cape  and 
follow  the  north  coast  until  we  find  a  sheltered  indenta- 
tion, or  get  on  the  lee  shore.  By  so  doing  we  can  beach 
our  boat  with  more  safety,  and  it  will  also  enable  us  to 
closely  scrutinize  the  coast  for  hostile  inhabitants  as  we 
sail  parallel  to  it." 

"Your  plan  seems  to  be  the  proper  thing  and  we  had 
better  adopt  it.  We  must  keep  a  considerable  distance 
oflf  that  promontory,  however,  for  in  this  latitude  we  are 
very  liable  to  run  against  hidden  coral-reefs,  and  at  this 
time  such  a  misfortune  could  only  be  extremely  disastrous 
to  us,"  said  the  naturalist. 

"Is  there  not  a  certain  depth  beyond  which  the  coral 
polypes  do  not  form  reefs?"  asked  Fred,  as  he  braced 
himself  for  an  extra  exertion  on  the  tiller,  which  was  now 
very  hard  to  control. 

"Yes,  twenty  fathoms  is  the  limit." 

"Then  I  will  not  have  to  keep  very  far  oflf  the  point  for 
it  has  every  appearance  of  descending  abruptly  into  the 
sea,  and  there  is  evidently  a  good  depth  of  water  there," 
said  Fred  in  a  confident  tone. 


n  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

"Those  things  are  often  deceiving.  I  would  keep  off 
a  mile  surely,  for  if  the  incline  of  the  coast  should  happen 
to  be  gradual  we  may  get  into  trouble.  I  have  seen 
many  reefs  two  and  three  miles  to  the  seaward  of  these 
Polynesian  islands,"  said  Mr.  Ellsworth. 

A  few  moments  later  the  cape  was  safely  doubled  and 
the  long  northwest  coast  lay  before  the  voyagers. 

The  island  as  seen  from  the  boat  looked  dark  and  unin- 
viting, but  this  impression  was  partially  caused  by  the 
dismal  nature  of  the  day.  The  dark,  smoky-blue  moun- 
tain peaks  were  rugged  and  barren  near  the  summits 
and  their  bases  were  supported  by  radiating  buttresses, 
which  in  some  places  extended  to  the  coast  where  they 
seemed  to  abruptly  descend  to  the  sea.  These  ledges 
formed  many  valleys  inland,  and  bold  precipices  and  pro- 
montories along  shore.  This  peculiar  formation  re- 
minded Mr.  Ellsworth  of  the  great  crater,  Tycho,  on  the 
lunar  sphere,  and,  indeed,  the  same  great  Plutonic  forces 
had  brought  this  island  above  the  sea,  as  it  perhaps  once 
brought  Tycho  above  the  water  on  our  satellite. 

Along  the  shore  of  this  island  the  most  luxuriant  tropi- 
cal vegetation  grew  in  great  abundance,  and  it  extended 
part  way  up  the  mountains.  The  great  cocoanut  palms 
waved  their  verdant  heads  frantically  in  the  gale,  while 
the  more  diminutive  representatives  of  the  family  nestled 
together  in  the  background,  protected  by  union. 

No  sign  of  human  life  could  be  detected,  but  it  might 
exist  on  those  gloomy  shores  nevertheless. 

The  life-boat  was  racing  madly  along  about  one  mile 
off  shore.  The  spray  flew  over  her  bow  and  drenched 
the  occupants  to  the  skin,  but  she  was  htld  steadily  on  her 
course.  The  two  men  had  their  hands  full  to  manage  the 
boat  in  such  a  wind  and  sea. 

It  was  growing  dark  when  Fred  discovered  a  long 
curved  line  of  boiling  foam  extending  seaward  from  the 
coast  and  bending  to  the  west.  It  probably  made  out 
into  the  ocean  three-fourths  of  a  mile,  and  at  first  it  puz- 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  73 

zled  him.  Soon,  however,  he  heard  the  roar  of  the 
breakers  and  he  then  realized  that  the  Une  of  foam  was  a 
coral  reel  on  which  the  giant  billows  were  dashing  with 
relentless  fury.     Danger  was  ahead!    Could  it  be  averted? 

The  boat  had  gradually  drawn  nearer  the  coast  as  dark- 
ness approached;  now  the  dangerous  reef  was  directly 
ahead  of  them  and  in  a  few  minutes,  unless  something  was 
done  quickly,  the  boat  would  be  upon  it.  The  little  craft, 
unfortunately,  was  poorly  rigged,  and  Fred  knew  that  it 
would  be  extremely  hazardous  to  undertake  to  change 
her  course  in  such  a  storm.  He  grasped  the  tiller  firmly, 
stood  on  his  feet  and  made  a  hasty  survey  of  the  reef. 
It  could  now  be  seen;  dark-gray,  menacing,  and  the 
white  foam  in  strong  contrast,  dashing  over  it.  Fred 
observed  all  at  a  glance.  A  second  thus,  and  a  thrill  of 
hope  shot  through  his  being;  he  had  discovered  a  break 
in  the  coral  barrier. 

"We  must  make  that  passage  or  we  are  lost!"  Fred 
shouted  to  his  companion. 

So  saying  he  pushed  the  tiller  hard  to  port;  the  boat 
answered  to  the  helm;  she  veered  and  headed  for  the 
narrow  and  dangerous  passage.  Whether  the  breach  in 
the  reef  was  of  a  sufficient  depth  to  allow  the  life-boat  to 
pass  or  not  was  unknown,  but  under  the  circumstances 
there  was  no  alternative;  they  must  attempt  the  passage. 

The  boat  bounded  swiftly  forward;  the  roar  of  the 
breakers  was  deafening;  the  scene  extremely  wild  and 
the  situation  thrilling.  Fred's  face  was  ashy  white,  but 
his  countenance  bore  a  firm  look  of  determination.  He 
guided  the  boat  with  a  strong  arm  and  steady  nerves. 

At  last  the  second  was  at  hand;  the  voyagers*  hearts 
almost  stood  still,  the  suspense  was  so  great.  The  boat 
rushed  into  the  breach;  the  foamy  billows  surged  and 
boiled  around  them ;  the  voyagers  could  almost  touch  the 
jagged  coral  on  either  hand;  a  sudden  grating  was 
sensed  under  the  keel;  the  boat  seemed  to  rise  from  the 
sea,  then  it  pitched  forward  and  with  a  sudden  impetus 


H  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

again  rushed  through  the  water.  It  had  safely  navigated 
the  dangerous  strait  and  now  the  boat  was  saiUng  in  a 
small  but  well  protected  bay. 

There  was  a  noticeable  indentation  in  the  coast,  and  the 
natural  breakwater  of  the  coral  animalcules  broke  the 
force  of  the  ocean  waves  and  made  what  appeared  to  be 
a  harbor  of  safety. 

Fred  fervently  thanked  God  for  their  deliverance  from 
a  great  danger,  and  Mr.  Ellsworth  bowed  his  head  in 
silence. 

Night  had  now  come.  The  boat  was  carefully  sailed 
up  the  bay  until  the  dark  and  gloomy  shore  was  but  a 
few  rods  distant,  when  the  sail  was  noiselessly  lowered. 

The  impetus  of  the  boat  was  sufficient  to  carry  it  to  the 
beach  and  the  bow  soon  grated  on  the  shingle,  when  the 
boat  remained  motionless. 

The  two  men  sat  still,  each  grasping  an  improvised 
paddle,  so  as  to  immediately  push  off  on  the  first  sign  of 
hostility  on  shore. 

Finally  Mr.  Ellsworth  said: 

"If  there  are  any  natives  on  the  island,  they  may  have 
discovered  the  boat  heading  for  the  shore,  and  even  now 
a  score  of  the  dusky  demons  may  be  lying  in  ambush  but 
a  few  rods  from  the  beach,  ready  to  jump  out  and  capture 
or  massacre  us  when  we  leave  the  boat." 

As  a  precaution  the  castaways  remained  in  the  boat 
nearly  an  hour,  listening  and  watching  for  signs  of  natives, 
but  nothing  occurred  to  arouse  their  suspicion.  The  only 
sounds  heard  were  the  wind  shrieking  through  the  trees 
and  the  roar  of  the  waves  as  they  dashed  against  the  out- 
lying reef. 

The  gloom  had  grown  impenetrable,  and  to  make  mat- 
ters worse,  the  patter  of  large  raindrops  on  and  around 
the  boat  was  heard.  Soon  the  water  descended  in  tor- 
rents. 

"Fred,  I  think  so  long  as  we  are  sheltered  from  the 
wind,  we  had  better  push  off  a  few  rods  and  anchor.     We 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  76 

cannot  find  any  suitable  place  to  rest  on  shore  in  this  in- 
tense darkness,"  said  Mr.  Ellsworth. 

"I  am  agreeable,  but  where  is  our  anchor?"  Fred  re- 
plied. 

"The  shore  is  rocky;  we  ought  to  be  able  to  find  a 
fragment  that  will  serve  that  purpose,"  returned  the  nat- 
urahst. 

"Very  well,  Mr.  Ellsworth,  if  you  will  take  care  of  the 
boat  I  will  endeavor  to  procure  a  stone." 

So  saying,  Fred  sprang  ashore  and  commenced  to 
search  for  an  anchor  rock.  It  is  perhaps  needless  to  say 
that  he  also  kept  a  sharp  lookout  for  hostile  bipeds,  for 
he  expected  to  see  dusky  forms  emerge  from  the  murky 
forest  any  second,  but  he  was  happily  disappointed,  for 
none  came  to  disturb  him.  After  a  short  hunt,  or  feel, 
rather,  a  fragment  of  basalt  weighing  seventy  or  eighty 
pounds  was  discovered,  and  with  Mr.  Ellsworth's  assist- 
ance it  was  placed  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat. 

They  then  pushed  oflf  a  cable's  length,  tied  the  painter 
to  the  rock  and  dropped  their  anchor  over  the  bow. 
After  paying  out  about  four  fathoms  of  rope  they  felt  the 
stone  strike  bottom  and  their  craft  was  anchored. 

The  awning  which  Mr.  Ellsworth  had  rigged  over  the 
stern  now  served  to  shelter  them  from  the  rain.  They 
also  spread  the  sail  and  spare  canvas  over  the  rest  of  the 
boat  in  such  a  manner  that  it  would  shed  water  and  thus 
save  them  the  trouble  of  bailing, 

"I  think  we  had  better  divide  the  night  into  watches, 
the  same  as  usual  and,  if  possible,  we  must  be  more  on 
the  alert  than  we  were  at  sea,  for  savages  are  more  danger- 
ous than  the  perils  of  the  ocean,"  remarked  the  scientist. 

"We  do  not  know  what  may  happen,  therefore,  we  can- 
not be  too  careful,"  returned  Fred,  as  he  munched  a  sea- 
biscuit  and  washed  it  down  with  water. 

The  rain  pattered  on  the  canvas  roof  far  into  the  night 
and  the  wind  whistled  and  shrieked  like  evil  demons. 
The  two  castaways  had  reason  to  be  thankful  that  this 


76  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

place  of  refuge  had  been  reached  before  the  gale  overtook 
them  in  all  its  fury. 

The  next  morning  they  were  both  awake  at  break  of 
day.  The  northeast  storm  had  not  abated  in  violence, 
although  the  rain  had  ceased. 

On  shore  the  palms,  screw-pines  and  the  leguminous 
acacias  twisted  and  bent  in  the  wind.  The  greater 
mountain  had  its  peak  hidden  in  the  moisture-laden  air 
or  clouds.  The  beach  was  bare,  as  the  tide  was  at  its  ebb, 
and  the  amphibians  barked  and  gamboled  on  the  shingle, 
apparently  unmindful  of  the  presence  of  their  superiors. 

Over  the  agitated  water  the  sea-birds,  as  they  were 
caught  by  the  wind,  dashed  in  reckless  evolutions  and 
their  hoarse  cries,  which  were  destitute  of  melody,  added 
to  the  din  and  confusion. 

After  the  frugal  breakfast  had  been  eaten,  Mr.  Ells- 
worth and  Fred  pulled  ashore  and  fastened  the  painter 
to  a  heavy  rock.  As  they  had  seen  no  signs  of  natives 
they  had  concluded  that  there  were  none  on  this  side  of 
the  island,  at  least,  but  they  deemed  it  expedient  to  be 
constantly  on  their  guard,  for  their  supposition  might 
be  incorrect. 

As  they  walked  up  the  beach  the  naturalist  found  many 
things  to  interest  him  and  he  never  failed  to  call  his  com- 
panion's attention  to  his  discoveries. 

At  this  point  the  shore  was  strewn  with  clusters, 
branches  and  fragments  of  corals  of  the  most  beautiful 
construction;  shells  of  unique  forms  and  delicate  hues 
were  lying  around  in  profusion;  sea-anemones  of  varied 
forms  were  nestled  here  and  there,  while  crustaceans^^ 
sponges,  sea-fans  and  numerous  other  marine  producv 
tions  were  seen.  Truly,  it  is  a  treat  for  even  a  layman  to 
visit  a  tropical  beach  at  low  water. 

"Well,  Fred,"  said  Mr.  Ellsworth,  "we  ought  to  ascend 
the  larger  mountain  and  carefully  examine  this  island 
from  its  summit,  but  that  is  out  of  the  question  at  present, 
for  the  clouds  hang  so  low  th^t  they  would  cut  off  our 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  77 

view.  To-morrow  the  weather  may  be  more  favorable; 
let  us  wait." 

"And  if  we  find  no  settlement  or  sign  of  human  life, 
what  will  we  do?"  questioned  Fred. 

"That  will  depend  on  circumstances.  We  may  have 
to  resort  to  the  sea  again ;  sail  away  in  our  little  craft  for 
a  more  congenial  shore,  for  it  will  be  no  satisfaction  to  re- 
main on  a  solitary,  uninhabited  islet." 

"By  to-morrow,  perhaps,  the  wind  will  have  subsided 
so  we  can  ascertain  whether  the  island  is  inhabited  or  not. 
In  the  meantime  let  us  search  in  the  neighboring  forests 
for  eatables.  Almost  anything  that  is  edible  will  be  ac- 
ceptable to  me,  for  I  have  become  tired  of  hard-tack  and 
stale  water,"  Fred  returned. 

"Very  well,  Fred,  we  will  be  purveyors  to-day  for  the 
mutual  benefit  of  the  crew,"  said  the  scientist  humor- 
ously, 

Fred  had  searched  the  boat  thoroughly,  and  as  a  result 
he  became  the  possessor  of  a  marline-spike  and  a  hatchet, 
which  had  survived  the  submersion  at  the  time  of  the 
wreck  by  being  securely  inclosed  in  a  small  locker  aft. 
These  were  thankfully  appropriated  as  they  would  serve 
for  tools,  and  weapons  also. 

For  all  the  sea-biscuit  had  become  odious,  the  casta- 
ways did  not  forget  to  fill  their  pockets  with  them  before 
starting. 

On  entering  the  forest  Fred  cut  two  long  hard-wood 
clubs,  which  were  to  be  used  in  defense  if  necessary. 

The  soil  on  this  island  appeared  to  be  fertile;  the  cli- 
mate hot  and  moist;  consequently  the  vegetation  was 
wonderfully  rich.  Several  species  of  ferns,  dracaenas, 
crotons,  and  many  plants,  shrubs  and  trees  of  curious 
forms  grew  abundantly.  Parasitical  climbers  flourished 
and  so  interlaced  the  undergrowth  that  traveling  was 
slow  and  tedious.  In  fact,  it  was  found  absolutely  ne- 
cessary to  resort  to  the  hatchet  frequently,  to  clear  the 


78  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

way.  Orchids  of  unique  forms  and  rich  colors  grew  in 
profusion  underfoot. 

Fred's  attention,  since  first  landing,  had  been  centered 
on  a  group  of  graceful  palms  which  grew  a  short  distance 
to  the  east  of  the  landing  place.  The  largest  tree  must 
have  attained  a  height  of  ninety  feet  and  the  butt  a  diame- 
ter of  two  feet.  The  great  pinnate  leaves,  nearly  twenty 
feet  long,  which  grew  from  the  crown,  waved  wildly  in 
the  great  atmospheric  disturbance.  At  the  base  of  the 
leaf  stems  were  clusters  of  large  ovate  productions,  one 
end  being  more  acute  than  the  other. 

"Mr.  Ellsworth,"  Fred  said,  "if  I  mistake  not  those  are 
cocoaWiut  palms  yonder,  and  if  they  are  we  can  get  some 
palatable  and  nourishing  food  from  the  matured  nuts." 

"Yes,  Fred,  those  are  cocoanut  trees;  let  us  go  over 
there ;  this  gale  must  have  detached  a  goodly  number  of 
the  nuts." 

Sure  enough,  under  the  palms,  on  the  ground,  the  pur- 
veyors found  nearly  a  hundred  nuts  in  their  bulky  oblong 
husks,  some  twenty  inches  in  length.  After  stripping 
these  fibrous  integuments  from  several  ripe  nuts  and 
puncturing  the  shells  with  the  marline-spike,  the  casta- 
ways partook  of  the  delicious  milk  within.  It  is  needless 
to  say  that  these  nuts  differed  materially  from  the  hard, 
insipid  cocoanuts  which  are  exposed  for  sale  in  our  north- 
ern cities.  Those  are  shipped  while  green  and  hard; 
these  had  become  ripe  on  the  tree,  and  some  of  them  were 
so  ripe  that  the  pulp  had  absorbed  the  milk.  This  made 
the  kernal  soft  so  it  could  be  scooped  out  with  a  spoon. 
The  luscious  flavor  cannot  be  imagined,  much  less  de- 
scribed; one  must  sit  beneath  the  trees  and  feast  on  these 
nuts  as  these  men  did  to  appreciate  their  good  qualities. 

After  satisfying  their  desire  for  nuts  the  castaways 
selected  about  fifty  of  the  best  ones  and  made  a  pile  among 
some  luxuriant  ferns,  then  they  covered  the  pile  with 
mammoth  leaves  which  had  been  wrenched  from  the 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  79 

trees  by  the  gale,  and  piled  stones  on  and  around  the 
heap.     This  supply  was  for  later  consumption. 

"There,"  said  Mr.  Ellsworth,  "we  shall  know  where  to 
find  these  nuts  when  we  return." 

"Unless  some  native  man  or  a  quadruped  appropriates 
them  before  we  get  back.  Perhaps  even  now  one  of  the 
former  individuals  is  watching  us  and  is  biding  his  time 
to  pilfer  our  store,"  said  Fred  with  a  smile. 

"I  have  no  fear  or  anxiety  on  that  score  for  animals 
can  find  plenty  of  nuts  on  the  ground,  and  it  is  yet  to  be 
proved  that  man  exists  on  the  island,"  returned  the  scien- 
tist. 

On  leaving  the  palms  the  two  men  entered  the  dense 
forest,  and  by  a  vigorous  use  of  their  clubs  and  hatchet 
they  made  fairly  good  progress  toward  the  mountains. 

Birds  of  brilliant  plumage,  but  with  harsh  notes,  were 
constantly  startled  from  the  trees  and  thickets.  The 
fruit-eating  pigeons  seemed  to  have  their  curiosity,  but 
not  their  fears  aroused  by  the  appearance  of  strangers  in 
their  midst.  As  a  consequence,  several  fell  victims  to  the 
clubs  of  the  hunters,  and  Fred  climbed  to  a  number  of 
nests,  and  he  was  fortunate  enough  to  find  twenty-three 
fresh  eggs.  Those  that  were  badly  wood  stained  and  ap- 
peared opaque  when  held  to  the  light,  he  left  in  the  nests; 
but  those  which  were  of  a  beautiful  translucent  flesh-tint, 
he  knew  to  be  fresh,  and  he  handed  them  down  to  his 
companion.  None  of  the  nests  were  over  fifteen  feet 
from  the  ground. 

"We  will  have  to  eat  these  pigeons  and  eggs  raw,  Mr. 
Ellsworth,  unless  we  can  improvise  some  means  to  obtain 
fire,  for  we  have  neither  matches  nor  flint  and  steel.  The . 
native  method  of  producing  fire  by  rubbing  two  sticks 
together  is  said  to  be  more  tiresome  than  profitable  to  a 
novice,  so  I  do  not  think  we  would  succeed,"  remarked 
Fred. 

"When  the  solar  orb  next  appears  you  shall  have  all 
the  fire  you  want,  my  friend." 


80  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

"And  how  will  you  obtain  it?"  asked  Fred  in  some 
surprise. 

"I  happen  to  have  a  powerful  pocket  lens  with  me, 
which  will  concentrate  the  sun's  rays  sufficiently  to  ignite 
inflammable  substances;  so  we  need  not  apprehend  any 
trouble  concerning  the  production  of  heat  to  cook  our 
game,"  returned  Mr.  Ellsworth. 

"Ah!  we  will  have  a  feast  then,  by  and  by,"  said  Fred. 

The  wind  still  blew  fiercely,  but  it  seemed  that  it  had 
abated  a  trifle  since  morning  and  it  had  shifted  a  few 
points;  it  now  came  from  the  east.  The  trees  creaked 
and  groaned;  their  branches  lashed  against  each  other 
overhead  and  green  leaves  and  dead  twigs  were  con- 
stantly falling. 

The  hunters  pushed  steadily  forward  in  quest  of  pro- 
visions and  in  hope  of  learning  something  of  the  land  on 
which  they  had  been  cast.  They  had  not  traveled  far  by 
mid-day,  for  the  difficulties  to  be  overcome  were  numer- 
ous, and  the  time  seemed  to  pass  away  very  swiftly.  Up 
to  II  o'clock  the  rank  vegetable  growth  continued  to 
obstruct  their  way,  but  after  that  a  more  rocky  country 
was  reached  and  the  trees  became  more  sparse  and  the 
undergrowth  less  dense.  The  rocky  foot-hills  of  the 
interior  mountains  had  evidently  been  gained. 

After  eating  their  lunch  among  the  great  irregular 
fragments  of  lava  and  spending  a  short  time  for  rest,  Mr. 
Ellsworth  said: 

"Let  us  return  to  the  boat.  We  have  all  the  eatables 
necessary  for  the  present  and  it  will  be  useless  to  attempt 
to  push  forward  any  farther  in  this  direction." 

"I  am  agreeable,  for  I  was  just  thinking  if  we  did  not 
turn  back  soon  we  would  have  to  spend  the  night  in 
the  forest,"  returned  Fred. 

It  was  a  difficult  matter  to  regain  the  coast,  for  they 
strayed  from  their  path  of  the  morning  and  the  sun  had 
set  when  they  emerged  from  the  forest.     The  sea  was 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  81 

still  very  rough  and  the  billows  had  not  yet  ceased  to 
break  in  white  foam  over  the  reefs. 

Mr.  Ellsworth  and  Fred  slowly  wended  their  way  to 
the  beach  where  they  had  anchored  the  boat  in  the  morn- 
ing. The  tide  had  risen  since  then.  They  stood  on  the 
wet  shingle  and  looked  up  and  down  the  shore  of  the  little 
bay;  then  they  looked  at  each  other,  and  dismay  was  de- 
picted on  their  features. 

The  life-boat  had  disappeared. 


82  FBEDEBICK    YOUNG, 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

EMPIRE     ISLAND. 

This,  indeed,  was  a  serious  calamity.  The  boat  was  not 
where  they  had  left  it  in  the  morning,  and  furthermore, 
it  was  in  no  part  of  the  bay.  The  force  of  the  incoming 
tide  had  probably  broken  the  painter  and  the  Hfe-boat 
had  been  carried  out  to  sea. 

Fred  hastened  to  the  rock  to  which  he  had  secured  the 
rope  in  the  morning,  it  was  not  submerged  by  high- 
water;  after  a  momentary  examination  he  said: 

"The  boat  has  broken  the  rope;  the  end  is  still  fastened 
to  the  rock,  and  the  break  looks  chafed  and  frayed." 

"This  is  an  unfortunate  affair,  Fred,  and  I  am  afraid 
we  shall  never  see  our  boat  again,  for  the  wind  is  just 
right  to  have  carried  it  directly  out  to  sea.  Hitherto  the 
great  natural  forces  have  been  in  our  favor,  this  time, 
however,  they  have  worked  against  us." 

"It  is  too  late  now  to  remedy  this  unlucky  occurrence," 
returned  Fred,  "but  had  we  not  better  search  up  and 
down  the  coast  for  a  half  mile  or  so?  It  is  possible  that 
we  may  find  some  trace  of  the  boat." 

"It  will,  at  least,  satisfy  our  minds  to  make  the  search, 
but  I  have  no  expectation  of  finding  our  boat,"  repUed 
Mr.  Ellsworth  in  a  tone  of  resignation. 

Accordingly  the  scientist  followed  the  shore  to  the 
northeast,  while  Fred  went  to  the  west,  after  agreeing  to 
meet  his  friend  later  near  the  anchor-rock.  They  were 
tired  after  the  fatiguing  explorations  of  the  day;  but, 
nevertheless,  they  searched  diligently  for  some  trace  of 
the  missing  boat.  When,  an  hour  later,  they  arrived  at 
the  rendezvous  it  was  dark,  and  their  hunt  had  been  fruit- 
less.    They  agreed  that  the  life-boat  had  probably  been 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  83 

driven  out  to  sea  by  the  strong  cast  wind,  and  that  they 
would  never  see  it  again.  Their  water,  biscuit,  canvas 
and  everything  excepting  what  clothes  they  wore,  what 
they  had  in  their  pockets  and  the  hatchet  and  marUne- 
spike,  were  irrecoverably  lost. 

"Now,"  said  Mr.  Ellsworth,  as  he  and  Fred  sat  down 
on  a  rock  to  rest  their  weary  limbs,  "we  will  have  to  find 
or  make  some  kind  of  a  shelter  to  sleep  in,  and  it  will  pro- 
bably be  the  latter,  as  we  have  seen  no  place  during  the 
day,  and  it  will  surely  be  impossible  to  find  one  in  the 
dark." 

"Let  us  go  over  to  the  cocoanut  grove,"  said  Fred; 
"we  can  find  plenty  of  big  palm  leaves  there,  and  we  can 
construct  a  temporary  shelter  with  them.  We  can  also 
eat  some  of  the  nuts  which  we  collected  this  morning." 

The  wind  had  greatly  abated  and  the  clouds  had  dis- 
persed. The  dark  vault  of  space  was  all  aglow  with  the 
resplendent  southern  constellations.  To  the  south  Crux 
Australis,  or  the  Southern  Cross,  as  that  beautiful  star 
group  is  called  by  sailors,  shone  in  the  sky.  To  the  north, 
Orion,  which  is  visible  to  nearly  all  the  world,  and  Canis 
Major  formed  an  interesting  study.  Sirius,  a  Centauri, 
Rigel,  Betelgeux,  Bellatrix,  and  numerous  other  well- 
known  stars  twinkled  brilliantly  in  their  respective  places. 

The  castaways  slowly  and  sadly  groped  their  way 
through  the  semi-darkness  to  the  grove.  They  found  the 
nuts  without  difficulty,  and  these,  together  with  the  few 
remaining  sea-biscuit,  formed  their  supper. 

After  this  simple  repast  they  collected  a  lot  of  palm- 
leaves  and  dead  limbs.  They  then  took  four  strong  sticks 
and  broke  them  so  that  a  crotch  or  fork  was  left  at  one 
end  of  each.  Then  they  inclosed  a  rectangular  plot  of 
ground  six  by  eight  feet,  by  sticking  the  four  forked  sticks 
into  the  ground,  so  that  they  projected  about  five  feet. 
Two  straight  poles  were  then  laid  in  the  crotches  for  side 
stringers;  cross-piece*  were  then  laid  on  these  and  placed 
about  one  foot  apart,  and  on  top,  the  great  palm-leaves 


84  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

were  laid  and  weighted  in  place  by  sticks  and  stones. 
The  ends  and  sides  were  also  covered  with  leaves,  which 
were  held  in  place  by  flat  stones.  An  opening  was  left 
on  one  side.  Two  hours  were  consumed  in  building  this 
rude  structure. 

The  castaways,  that  night,  slept  soundly  between  the 
watches. 

The  following  morning  it  was  comparatively  calm  and 
perfectly  clear.  At  sunrise  the  forests  resounded  with 
the  notes  of  the  avain  inhabitants.  In  fact,  animated 
nature  kept  up  such  a  continuous  hum  and  chatter  that 
the  sounds  intermingled,  and  one  became  confused  while 
listening  to  them. 

Mr.  Ellsworth  and  Fred  made  another  search  for  the 
boat,  but  no  trace  of  it  could  be  found.  It  was  so  late 
when  they  had  finished  that  they  deemed  it  expedient  to 
postpone  the  mountain  climbing  until  the  next  day. 

During  the  forenoon  Mr.  Ellsworth  succeeded  in  get- 
ting fire  by  the  aid  of  his  pocket  sun-glass,  and  a  cotton- 
like substance  which  he  procured  from  a  species  of  fern 
indigenous  to  the  island. 

They  soon  had  a  good  fire  and  Fred  prepared  and 
roasted  the  pigeons  on  a  pointed  stick,  which  he  held 
over  the  flames  and  turned  by  hand.  The  eggs  were 
baked  in  the  hot  ashes,  as  were  also  some  bivalves  and 
cray  fish,  which  Mr.  Ellsworth  had  pronounced  to  be 
edible. 

While  Fred  was  attending  to  the  culinary  duties,  the 
scientist  was  collecting  fruit  and  evaporating  sea-water 
on  a  large  flat  stone,  which  provided  salt  enough  for  their 
immediate  demands. 

After  their  sumptuous  repast  had  been  partaken  of,  the 
question  arose  whether  they  should  build  a  more  substan- 
tial and  commodious  habitation  or  not.  It  was  finally 
decided  not  to  do  anything  until  the  island  had  been 
thoroughly  explored.  Then  they  would  be  cognizant 
of  their  position  and  they  could  act  for  the  best. 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  85 

The  following  morning,  which  was  Thursday,  Mr. 
Ellsworth  and  Fred  were  preparing  to  ascend  the  moun- 
tain by  daybreak,  and  before  the  sun  appeared  in  the  east 
they  had  eaten  their  breakfast  and  had  gotten  some  dis- 
tance on  their  journey.  By  so  doing  they  reached  the 
base  of  the  greater  elevation  before  the  atmosphere  had 
become  very  warm. 

They  followed  the  path  through  the  forest  which  they 
had  previously  made,  and  a  great  deal  of  time  was  saved 
thereby. 

It  was  slow  and  tiresome  work,  toiling  up  the  steep, 
rocky  slopes;  climbing  nearly  perpendicular  walls;  mak- 
ing their  way  over  acres  and  acres  of  pumice-stone 
trachytic  rocks,  obsidian  and  other  volcanic  debris;  and 
in  places  vines  and  shrubs  combined  in  forming  a  tangle 
that  seriously  impeded  their  progress. 

Nevertheless,  by  lo  o'clock,  the  climbers  were  on  a 
level  with  the  lower  peak.  At  this  point  the  vegetation 
had  become  very  sparse,  only  growing  in  crevices  and  on 
rocky  terraces  where  disintegrated  rock  and  mold  had 
formed  a  slight  soil.  This  lack  of  vegetation  was  not  due 
to  the  altitude,  but  to  the  rocky  formation  of  the  moun- 
tain. Traveling  was  here  greatly  assisted  by  the  strong 
alpenstocks,  which  Fred  had  cut  in  the  lowland. 

At  11.30  o'clock  the  castaways  stood  on  the  summit. 
They  were  nearly  exhausted.  Mr.  Ellsworth  sat  down, 
but  Fred  stood  and  made  a  careful  survey  of  the  land  and 
water.     After  a  moment's  examiViation  he  said: 

"We  have  landed  on'a  solitary,  uninhabited  islet," 

"I  am  not  surprised,  Fred,  I  have  felt  from  the  first  that 
it  was  so.     But*is  there  no  other  island  in  sight?" 

"No,  not  a  speck  of  land  nor  even  a  sail  can  I  see," 
Fred  replied. 

The  cool  air  and  breeze  were  refreshing  after  the  ex- 
treme heat  which  had  been  experienced  below.  No 
doubt  but  that  it  was  as  hot  at  the  sea-level  then,  but  the 
more  rarefied  condition  of  the  atmosphere  at  this  altitude. 


86  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

which  Mr.  Ellsworth,  by  angular  computation,  had  cal- 
culated to  be  5,300  feet,  gave  them  a  very  agreeable  tem- 
perature. 

After  Mr.  Ellsworth  had  become  sufficiently  rested  he 
joined  Fred  in  examining  the  surroundings.  The  scene 
from  the  summit  defied  description;  but  a  faint  concep- 
tion can  be  had  of  it.  Under  their  feet  and  around  them 
were  acres  of  trachyte,  dolerite  and  basalt,  broken  into 
jagged  rocks  and  piled  and  thrown  up  in  the  most  pro- 
miscuous confusion.  The  air  at  the  tree  line,  so  to  speak, 
was  so  hot  and  moist  that  many  species  of  beautiful  club 
and  creeping  lichens  covered  the  slopes,  and  the  whole 
island,  excepting  a  narrow  strip  around  the  beach,  the 
cones  of  the  two  mountain  peaks  and  a  small  interior  lake, 
were  covered  with  a  rich,  verdant  vegetation.  From  the 
shore  the  boundless  ocean  extended  in  all  directions  to 
the  distant  horizon  line,  and  not  an  island,  a  reef,  a  ship, 
nor  anything  to  suggest  hope  to  these  isolated  men,  ap- 
peared to  break  the  sameness.  Indeed,  this  part  of  fche 
world  seemed  utterly  deserted. 

The  island  in  form  resembled  an  irregular  wedge,  its 
greatest  length  being  about  five  miles,  and  the  width,  at 
one  end  about  three  miles.  The  apex,  as  it  were,  of  the 
island,  lay  or  extended  to  the  southwest.  There  were 
two  well  defined  capes;  one  to  the  southwest  and  the 
other  to  the  northeast,  the  latter  being  the  promontory 
that  the  life-boat  had  doubled  during  the  gale.  The  only 
indentation  was  the  little  bay  on  the  northwest  coast, 
where  the  castaways  had  landed.  The  little  lake  which 
was  at  the  southwest  of  the  smaller  mountain,  shone  in 
the  sunlight  like  a  large  body  of  mercury.  A  small  stream, 
which  was  evidently  an  outlet  for  the  lake,  flowed  from  it 
to  the  northwest,  where  it  doubtless  emptied  into  the  bay. 
Another  small  stream  meandered  through  the  emerald- 
hued  forests  to  the  south,  having  its  source  at  the  base 
of  the  greater  peak.     This  bird's-eye  view  was  grand  and 


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FREDERICK    YOUNG.  87 

picturesque,  and  the  combination  of  nature's  colors  was 
very  pleasing  to  the  eye. 

"This  is  grand,  Fred,  and  if  we  but  knew  how  we  are 
going  to  leave  it,  how  we  would  enjoy  this  scene"  re- 
marked the  scientist. 

"Yes,  Mr.  Ellsworth,  this  is  truly  beautiful,  but  I  do  not 
want  to  be  confined  against  my  will  even  in  paradise,"  re- 
turned Fred. 

"True,  my  friend,  and  I  trust  we  shall  not  have  to  re- 
main here  long;  but  while  we  are  here,  let  us  profit 
thereby.  The  island  appears  to  be  destitute  of  man  or 
his  handiwork,  but,  of  course,  we  cannot  examine  it  at 
this  altitude  minutely  without  some  sort  of  a  magnifying 
glass.  Now,  to  make  a  proper  beginning,  let  us  make  a 
rough  map  of  the  land  and  its  configuration.  No  doubt 
this  islet  is  known  to  navigators  and  geographers,  and  it 
is  probably  marked  on  the  charts,  but  we  neither  know 
its  name,  nor  position  on  the  planisphere.  Therefore,  for 
our  own  convenience,  I  think  we  ought  to  name  the  island 
and  its  principal  diversifications.  If  the  island  is  known, 
our  names  when  we  are  done  with  them,  can  pass  into 
innocuous  desuetude.  If  it  is  unknown  to  the  world,  they 
can  stand  to  shed  honor  on  the  discoverers  of — 

"Empire  Island,"  interposed  Fred. 

"A  happy  thought,  my  friend;  in  honor  of  our  native 
state  this  land  henceforth  shall  be  known  as  Empire 
Island,"  said  the  scientist,  carefully  inserting  the  name  on 
a  map  which  he  had  accurately  sketched  in  his  note-book 
while  talking, 

Fred  looked  over  Mr.  Ellsworth's  shoulder  and  watched 
the  process  of  map-making.  The  scientist  was  an  adept 
with  the  pencil,  and  soon,  under  his  practiced  eye  and 
trained  hand,  Empire  Island,  in  miniature,  appeared  on 
the  paper.  The  sketch  embraced  the  minutest  details. 
Only  the  names  were  lacking. 

"Shall  we  call  the  breakwater  Harlem  Reef?"  ques- 


88  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

tioned  the  scientist,  holding  his  pencil  in  readiness  to 
insert  the  name. 

"I  am  agreeable,"  returned  Fred. 

"The  reef  is  named.  What  shall  we  call  the  bay?  It 
is  your  turn,  remember,"  said  Mr.  Ellsworth,  smiHng. 

"Coral  Bay  it  shall  be,  then,"  returned  Fred. 

"And  the  stream  that  empties  into  it  I  will  call  Palm 
River,"  said  the  scientist. 

"And  the  body  of  water  which  forms  the  source  of  the 
river  I  name  Sylvan  Lake,  from  the  vast  forests  which 
encircle  it/'  Fred  said. 

"The  stream  that  flows  southward  from  the  base  of  this 
mountain  shall  be  known  as  Handford  River,  in  com- 
memoration of  our  late  captain,  whom  we  and  our  fellow- 
passengers  greatly  respected,"  said  the  naturalist  in  turn. 

"And  the  summit  that  we  now  occupy  I  name  Mount 
Ellsworth,  in  honor  of  one  of  its  discoverers,"  said  Fred. 

"And  I  object,"  returned  the  scientist. 

"But  I  persist,  as  a  discoverer's  name  should  be  per- 
petuated,"  returned   Fred. 

"Very  well,  I  will  take  you  at  your  word  and  call  the 
lesser  elevation  to  the  west  Mount  Young,"  the  naturalist 
said. 

"Now  you  have  got  even  with  me,  Mr.  Ellsworth,  and 
as  it  is  my  turn,  I  will  call  the  elevation  to  the  west  of 
Coral  Bay,  Metropolitan  Hill/'  said  Fred. 

"And  now  only  the  capes  remain  to  be  named,  and  the 
one  at  the  smaller  extremity  I  will  call  Southwest  Cape," 
the  scientist  said. 

"And  the  promontory  to  the  northeast  shall  be  known 
as  Cape  Garfield,  in  honor  of  our  president-elect,"  con- 
cluded Fred. 

Mr,  Ellsworth  now  had  a  tolerably  accurate  map  of  this 
solitary  islet,  and  the  principal  features  now  bore  names. 
The  details  could  be  inserted  later  as  they  were  discov- 
ered during  future  explorations. 

"I  think,"  said  Fred,  "that  we  cannot  do  better  than  to 


FREDERICK    YOU  NO.  89 

make  our  headquarters  near  the  cocoanut  grove.  We 
will  have  to  remain  here  until  we  can  construct  some 
kind  of  a  boat,  or  until  a  ship  comes  this  way.  But,  then, 
we  cannot  build  a  boat  unless  we  have  tools  to  work 
with." 

"We  will  manage  in  some  way  to  build  a  substantial 
house,  and  possibly  later  on  we  will  devise  some  means 
of  leaving  the  island.  We  are  not  so  badly  off  as  we 
might  be,  for  vessels  are  liable  to  appear  on  the  horizon 
at  any  moment;  and  then  inhabited  islands  cannot  be 
far  away,"  returned  Mr.  Ellsworth. 

"Ships  may  pass  and  yet  not  stop  here.  We  may  be 
out  of  the  regular  ocean  routes,  and  I  am  inclined  to  think 
we  are,  or  this  island  would  not  now  be  in  its  present  de- 
serted condition.  We  must  do  something  to  attract  ves- 
sels to  us.  I  would  suggest  that  we  erect  some  sort  of  a 
conspicuous  signal  on  this  summit,"  remarked  Fred. 

"We  must  do  so,  and  before  we  descend,  for  it  is  very 
laborious  work  climbing  this  mountain." 

"We  ought  to  erect  a  tall  mast  and  cap  it  with  some 
large  object.  It  will  be  necessary  to  descend  some  2,000 
feet  to  obtain  a  sufficiently  large  pole  for  our  purpose," 
said  Fred. 

"It  was  now  two  hours  after  noon.  The  castaways  had 
been  at  the  summit  long  enough  to  recuperate  from  the 
fatigue  of  the  ascent,  so  they  descended  to  that  part  of 
the  mountain  where  large  trees  grew.  They  soon  found 
a  pole  that  would  answer  their  purpose;  it  was  a  dead 
tree  which  had  been  broken  off  by  some  gale.  It  had 
become  entirely  denuded  of  its  bark  and  the  exterior  was 
hard  and  showed  no  sign  of  decay.  It  was  not  difficult 
to  remove  the  branches  from  the  tree,  but  over  two  hours 
were  consumed  in  carrying  it,  and  a  few  smaller  poles  for 
braces,  to  the  summit. 

The  castaways  spent  the  night  on  a  sheltered  ledge 
near  the  peak. 

The  next  morning  Mr.  Ellsworth  suggested  that  they 


90  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

again  descend  the  slopes  and  carry  out  an  idea,  which  he 
had  conceived  during  a  dream  in  the  night.  Fred  as- 
sented and  followed  his  venerable  companion. 

Mr.  Ellsworth  descended  to  the  line  of  vegetation  and 
stopped  where  a  dense  growth  of  some  sort  of  small  ever- 
green trees  flourished.  He  took  the  hatchet  and  cut  four 
trees  that  had  a  remarkably  thick  growth  of  branches, 
and  requested  Fred  to  assist  him  in  pulling  them  up  to 
the  summit.  When  the  peak  was  reached  the  naturahst 
securely  bound  the  evergreen  trees  to  the  small  end  of  the 
pole  with  some  tough  creeping-plants  that  grew  below. 

The  scientist's  idea  at  once  became  apparent  to  Fred. 
These  trees  when  bound  together  formed  a  dense  globu- 
lar mass  six  feet  in  diameter  and  impenetrable  to  light; 
so  that  at  a  distance  it  would  appear  like  a  dark  opaque 
body  and,  consequently,  would  make  an  admirable  signal. 

"There,"  said  Mr.  Ellsworth,  when  the  work  was  com- 
pleted, "if  I  mistake  not,  this  signal,  wlien  we  get  it  in 
place,  can  be  seen  from  a  ship  when  the  vessel  is  fifty 
or  sixty  miles  away." 

"With  the  naked  eye?"  questioned  Fred. 

"No,  with  marine  glasses." 

"How  do  you  know  that  they  will  look  at  it  through 
marine  glasses?" 

"If  we  had  been  the  possessors  of  magnifying  glasses 
when  we  first  sighted  this  peak  would  we  not  have  scru- 
tinized this  mountain  with  them?" 

"Probably." 

"Others  will  do  likewise.  All  ships  carry  glasses,  and 
if  this  summit  is  sighted  you  may  depend  on  this  signal 
being  seen." 

"How  will  a  strong  wind  aflfect  it?** 

"It  may  break  the  mast  oflf  but  it  will  not  wrench  these 
trees  from  the  top;  they  are  too  securely  bound  on  for 
that." 

"Good,  my  friend!  Now  let  us  raise  the  signal  to  an 
erect  position." 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  91 

This  was  no  easy  matter  to  accomplish,  as  some 
strength  and  considerable  skill  were  essential  to  assure 
a  successful  termination  of  the  undertaking. 

The  big  end  or  butt  of  the  mast  was  placed  at  the  brink 
of  a  crevice,  which  was  about  five  feet  deep.  The  small 
end  of  the  pole  was  then  raised;  first  with  the  castaways' 
hands  and  then  with  forked  push-poles.  As  the  pole  was 
raised  the  butt  slid  into  the  crevice  and  became  firmly 
footed.  After  maneuvring  for  half  an  hour  the  signal 
pointed  to  the  zenith.  To  make  it  secure,  large  stones 
were  piled,  driven  and  wedged  around  it  until  it  remained 
firmly  upright,  when  the  braces  were  removed.  The 
castaways  were  not  satisfied,  however,  until  the  rocks  had 
been  heaped  to  the  height  of  six  feet  around  the  mast. 
When  this  was  done,  it  was  immovable,  and  it  would  un- 
doubtedly stand  for  years. 

After  lunch  the  two  prepared  to  go  below,  but  their 
movements  were  somewhat  retarded  by  the  peak  suddenly 
becoming  enveloped  in  huge  masses  of  nimbus  clouds. 
The  clouds  were  very  dense  and  the  castaways  could  see 
but  a  few  feet  ahead  of  them,  while  largQ  drops  of  water 
condensed  on  their  hair  and  beard  and  ran  down  their 
faces.  Singularly  the  moisture  globules  did  not  condense 
on  the  castaways'  clothing,  so  that  remained  compara- 
tively dry. 

"This  is  my  first  experience  among  the  clouds,"  re- 
marked Fred. 

"Clouds  do  not  differ  much  from  the  fogs  we  have  at 
the  sea-level." 

"This  is  more  dense  than  any  fog  I  have  ever  encoun- 
tered," replied  Fred. 

"If  the  temperature  should  now  fall  below  the  dew- 
point,  or  the  point  of  saturaticrti,  we  would  be  drenched 
to  the  skin  by  a  heavy  aqueous  precipitation,"  said  Mr. 
Ellsworth. 

"I  trust  that  will  not  occur,    We  wUl  5Qon  be  below 


dZ  FREDERICK    YOUNQ. 

this  cloud,  when  we  can  make  better  progress,  said 
Fred. 

"It  has  just  occurred  to  me  that  our  signal  is  rendered 
useless  during  the  prevalence  of  clouds,  especially  cumu- 
lus, stratus  and  nimbus  clouds." 

"That  is  true,  Mr.  Ellsworth,  and  a  ship  is  just  as  liable 
to  approach  Empire  Island  in  cloudy  as  in  clear  weather. 
We  must  think  of  some  other  means  to  make  our  pres- 
ence known." 

The  cataways  soon  got  below  the  stratum  of  moisture 
and  before  dark  they  were  again  at  the  cocoanut  grove, 
near  Coral  Bay. 

The  sun  rose  the  next  day  in  a  clear  sky.  It  was  Sat- 
urday, February  26th,  and  the  inhabitants  of  Empire 
Island  had  decided  to  follow  up  the  east  bank  of  Palm 
River.  Their  larder  needed  replenishing  and  they  were 
curious  to  explore  the  unknown  parts  of  the  island. 

Mount  Ellsworth  was  clearly  defined  against  the  cobalt 
sky,  on  this  morning,  and  the  signal  showed  up  well  from 
the  beach  of  Coral  Bay. 

"I  think,"  said  Fred,  "that  we  can  manage  to  construct 
aind  paint  a  large  sign  and  attach  it  to  the  mast,  so  as  to 
make  it  understood  by  mariners." 

"We  will  do  so;  it  is  an  excellent  idea." 

"Mr.  Ellsworth,  do  you  really  think  this  island  is  known 
to  navigators?" 

"I  think  it  must  be  known,  for  it  lies  between  America 
and  Australia,  not  far  from  the  oceanic  routes,  and  the 
prominent  mountains  make  it  conspicuous  from  the 
sea." 

"If  it  is  known,  I  should  think  it  would  be  inhabited, 
for  it  appears  to  be  fertile  and  has  everything  necessary 
to  support  human  life." 

"Yes,"  assented  the  scientist,  "but  islands  are  so 
plenty  in  Polynesia  that  small  ones  are  not  of  much  ac- 
count. If  I  had  a  quadrant,  a  chronometer  and  a  chart 
I  could  soon  tell  whether  this  island  is  known  to  the 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  93 

world  or  not  and  I  could  also  correctly  locate  its  position 
in  the  Pacific." 

"Cannot  you  ascertain  our  longitude  and  latitude  with- 
out these  instruments?" 

"Not  accurately;  I  may  be  able  to  make  a  rough  esti- 
mate. We  will  make  the  attempt  soon,  at  any  rate," 
answered  Mr.  Ellsworth. 

It  was  8  o'clock  when  the  castaways  started  up  Palm 
River.  For  a  quarter  of  a  mile  the  stream  ran  through 
open  land,  but  after  that  the  dense  forest  was  encountered 
and  their  progress  was  necessarily  slow.  Hitherto  the 
stream  had  been  some  four  rods  wide  and  the  sloping 
shores  were  covered  with  a  dense  growth  of  flags,  rushes; 
lilies  which  bore  rich,  white,  blue  and  yellow  flowers, 
and  many  other  plant  forms,  which  were  intermixed  in 
pleasing  profusion.  Now  the  stream  was  not  over  half 
as  wide;  the  banks  were  steep  and  the  forest  grew  to  the 
brink  of  the  fern-covered  abutting  shores.  The  branches 
and  leaves  of  the  peculiar  tropical  trees  met  over  the 
stream  and  they  were  fantastically  draped  and  festooned 
with  pendant  lichens  and  parasitical  climbers.  Numer- 
ous species  of  the  Orchidaceae  grew  among  the  branches, 
their  singularly  shaped  flowers  representing  many  of  the 
most  brilliant  prismatic  colors.  The  fruit-eating  pigeons 
cooed  overhead;  the  brilliant  parrakeets  peered  down  at 
the  intruders  and  uttered  their  hoarse  notes,  while  the 
numerous  other  forms  of  animated  nature  enlivened  the 
damp,  umbrageous  recesses  of  the  forest. 

Just  before  reaching  the  lake  the  ground  seemed  to 
ascend  as  if  higher  land  were  ahead,  and  the  placidity  of 
the  river  was  frequently  broken  by  rapids  and  miniature 
falls.  This  led  Mr.  Ellsworth  to  remark  that  the  lake  was 
evidently  considerably  elevated  above  the  sea-level  and 
that  its  waters  were  probably  derived  from  mountain 
springs. 

Finally  the  castaways  emerged  from  the  tangled  vege- 
tation and  Sylvan  Lake  in  all  its  splendor  lay  before  them. 


94  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

It  was,  indeed,  beautiful  beyond  compare.  It  appeared 
to  be  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  long  and  one-quarter 
of  a  mile  wide;  it  was  surrounded  with  a  luxuriant  forest 
of  palms,  tree-ferns,  acacias,  screw-pines,  etc.,  excepting 
on  a  portion  of  the  northeast  side,  which  was  lined  with 
white  limestone  clifTs.  These  precipitous  rocks  were 
backed  by  the  rugged  slopes  of  Mount  Young.  The  sur- 
face of  the  lake  was  like  a  mirror;  no  breeze  ruffled  its 
waters,  and  the  white  cliffs,  the  verdant  borders  of  vegeta- 
tion; the  cerulean  sky  and  the  White,  fleecy  clouds,  which 
had  recently  appeared,  were  all  reflected  in  its  crystal-like 
depths  with  remarkable  distinctness. 

"Oh,  Mr.  Ellsworth,  how  serene!  how  beautiful!  Have 
you  ever  seen  anything  more  lovely?"  asked  Fred  in  an 
ecstasy  of  delight. 

"In  all  my  travels — and  they  have  been  very  extensive 
— I  have  never  come  upon  a  scene  to  equal  this.  Why, 
Fred,  one  could  give  up  social  and  business  ties  to  abide 
in  such  a  paradise  as  lies  before  us,"  said  the  scientist. 

"And  what  constitutes  this  loveliness.  The  scene  is 
neither  grand  nor  picturesque,  waiving  the  mountains  on 
our  left,"  said  Fred. 

"It  is  the  innate  serenity  of  nature;  the  delicate  color- 
ing of  sky  and  water;  the  harmony  of  the  component 
parts  and  the  general  repose  of  the  surroundings." 

"I  wish  we  had  a  boat,  for  we  would  certainly  enjoy  a 
sail  on  our  Sylvan  Lake,"  remarked  Fred. 

"As  we  have  none,  let  us  make  our  yi^ay  along  shore  to 
those  cliffs,"  returned  the  scientist. 

Nearly  an  hour  was  consumed  in  cutting  a  path  through 
the  rank  undergrowth  to  the  cliffs. 

Just  before  the  castaways  arrived  they  were  startled 
by  the  sound  of  some  large  amphibian  floundering  off 
the  margin  of  the  shore  into  the  lake.  What  it  could 
have  been  the  castaways  could  not  possibly  imagine,  but 
it  certainly  made  noise  enough  to  have  been  a  large  hip- 
popotamus, but,  of  course,  that  great  pachyderm  does 


FREDERICK    YOU  NO.  95 

not  occur  in  Polynesia.  The  explorers  were  unable  to 
catch  even  a  glimpse  of  the  animal  on  account  of  the  in- 
tervening thickets,  although  they  hastened  forward  when 
the  splash  occurred.  When  they  reached  the  bank  a  few 
eddies  on  the  surface  of  the  water  were  all  that  met  their 
gaze. 

"If  we  stay  here  long,  Fred,  we  must  ascertain  what 
sort  of  creatures  inhabit  this  lake.  That  must  have  been 
some  massive  mammal,  as  is  made  evident  by  the  grass 
and  shrubs  yonder,"  said  the  naturalist,  indicating  a  part 
of  the  shore  where  the  vegetation  was  trampled  down. 

The  base  of  the  limestone  cliffs  was  soon  gained.  There 
was  a  narrow  beach  of  hard,  chalky  sediment  between  the 
foot  of  the  rocks  and  the  water.  In  places  these  calcar- 
eous walls  rose  perpendicularly  200  feet  above  the  water 
and  on  the  numerous  sheltered  shelves  or  ledges,  count- 
less numbers  of  sea-birds  were  breeding.  In  places  the 
water  had  eaten  or  washed  out  deep  holes  or  caves  in  the 
soft  limestone,  and  occasional,  tiny  rivulets  poured  out 
of  an  enlarged  seam  and  produced  a  miniature  cascade. 

The  castaways  continued  their  journey  along  the  nar- 
row strand,  constantly  on  the  alert  for  something  new 
or  interesting. 

It  amused  Fred  to  watch  Mr.  Ellsworth,  for  the  scien- 
tist was  as  enthusiastic  as  a  child  is  when  at  play.  The 
old  gentleman  was  constantly  picking  up  or  chipping 
mineral  fragments;  intently  examining  some  plant,  shrub 
or  tree;  excavating  fossils  from  the  calcareous  rocks, 
collecting  shells  and  algae  along  shore,  stopping  to  study 
the  habits  or  nidification  of  some  bird,  and  constantly 
jotting  down  items  in  his  note-book.  He  was  observing, 
extremely  active,  and  was  always  delighted  to  expound 
the  views  of  the  professional  world  on  all  subjects  per- 
taining to  science. 

The  castaways  had  not  followed  the  cliffs  far  when 
they  became  cognizant  of  a  rumbling  musical  sQund 


96  FREDERICK    YOU  NO. 

ahead.  They  accelerated  their  steps,  and  the  source  of 
Sylvan  Lake  was  discovered. 

At  this  point  the  precipice  seemed  to  attain  its  maxi- 
mum altitude,  and  at  a  heig'ht  of  fifteen  feet  above  the 
beach  a  stream  of  water  poured  out  from  the  face  of  the 
clifif  and  fell  on  an  incline  of  crystal  stalagmite,  which  led 
the  milk-like  liquid,  after  forming  many  foamy  cascades, 
into  the  lake.  The  peculiar  color  of  the  water  was  caused 
by  the  amount  of  lime  which  it  held  in  solution,  and  the 
whiteness  of  the  lake  for  some  distance  from  this  point 
indicated  that  the  water  of  that  body  was  impregnated 
with  the  same  mineral  substance. 

On  either  side  of  the  stalagmite  incline,  natural  bul- 
warks, of  immaculate  splendor,  had  been  builded  up  by 
the  water  itself,  so  it  was  confined  to  a  channel  of  its  own 
construction.  Above  the  stream,  at  that  point  where  it 
issued  from  the  limestone  facade,  a  vertical  opening  was 
noticeable,  which  had  evidently  been  cut  out  by  the  ero- 
sive water.  This  opening  was  apparently  some  fifty  feet 
from  top  to  bottom  and  in  width,  twenty  feet  at  the  top 
and  not  over  eig'ht  feet  wide  where  the  water  came  forth. 

The  castaways  gazed  at  this  beautiful  and  wonderful 
freak  of  nature  with  awe.     At  last  Mr.  Ellsworth  said: 

"Fred,  undoubtedly  somewhere  in  the  interior  of  these 
cliffs  there  is  a  large  spring,  which  has  its  source  in  one 
of  the  mountains.  A  great  many  years  ago  that  spring 
came  into  existence  through  volcanic  or  seismic  force, 
in  all  probability;  the  overflow  percolated  through  these 
calcareous  chfifs,  or  followed  some  seam,  until  a  tiny 
stream  of  water  made  its  way  into  the  lake ;  then  it  com- 
menced cutting  for  itself  a  larger  channel  of  egress.  This 
was  accomplished  in  two  ways,  viz.:  by  mechanical  fric- 
tion and  by  the  carbonic  acid  in  the  water  acting  chemi- 
cally upon  the  rocks.  Soon  a  passage  sufficiently  large 
for  the  water  vv^as  made,  and  then  it  commenced  to  wear 
and  erode  its  own  bed,  and  in  the  course  of  time  it 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  97 

formed  a  large  aperture  in  the  cliffs  and  lowered  its 
channel  to  its  present  level.'* 

"I  should  infer,"  said  Fred,  "that  the  volume  of  this 
stream  was  once  much  greater  than  it  is  at  present." 

"Yes,  my  friend,  the  shape  of  the  aperture  certainly 
indicates  as  much." 

"And  I  suppose  this  stream  will  continue  to  wear  away 
its  bed  until  it  falls  to  the  level  of  the  lake,"  remarked 
Fred. 

"Probably,  and  this  great  deposit  of  stalagmite  will  have 
to  be  worn  away  unless  the  stream  changes  its  course," 
returned  the  scientist. 

"And  what  becomes  of  the  mineral  matter  that  is  car- 
ried into  the  lake  in  solution?" 

"No  doubt  but  that  the  majority  of  it  is  deposited  on 
the  lake  bottom,  but  a  great  deal  finds  its  way  into  the 
ocean,  where  it  is  used  by  the  Mollusca,  Echinodermata 
and  the  Foraminifera  in  building  up  their  bodily  struct- 
ures. These  organisms  die;  their  bodies  sink  to  the  bot- 
tom of  the  sea,  become  disintegrated,  and  in  time  their  re- 
mains become  a  solid  mass,  which  may  be  Hfted  up  by 
subterranean  forces  and  again  pass  through  the  same 
series  of  changes.  Of  course,  these  changes  do  not  hap- 
pen in  a  day  or  in  a  year,  but  in  the  course  of  ages,  and 
they  are  not  so  likely  to  occur  in  the  future,  as  they  were 
liable  to  take  place  when  the  earth  was  young. 

"Someone  has  said  that  the  cycle  of  carbonate  of  lime 
is  a  never-ending  one,  from  the  land  to  the  ocean,  from 
the  ocean  to  the  land,  and  so  it  has  been  since  the  first 
stratum  of  limestone  was  formed  out  of  the  exuviae  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  sea,"  answered  Mr.  Ellsworth. 

"It  is  very  strange  and  one  gets  lost,  metaphorically 
speaking,  when  thinking  of  mysterious  nature,"  Fred 
reflectively  remarked. 

The  castavvviys  had  but  a  few  hours  left  that  day  for 
exploration,  so  they  climbed  up  the  stalagmite  water- 
course and  peered  into  the  entrance  of  the  cavity  in  the 


98  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

cliff.  They  were  greatly  surprised  to  find  that  the  inte- 
rior was  much  larger  than  the  exit  and  that  they  could 
walk  in  with  ease,  as  the  water  only  occupied  a  narrow 
channel  compared  with  the  largeness  of  the  cavern.  As 
the  cave,  for  such  it  was,  did  not  make  any  abrupt  turns, 
but  followed  a  nearly  straight  course,  the  light  was  quite 
good  for  some  distance  in. 

The  explorers  soon  came  to  numerous  ramificating 
passages  of  unknown  depth,  and  about  loo  feet  in  the 
main  passage  terminated  in  a  massive  circular  chamber 
of  impenetrable  height.  In  the  semi-darkness  the  farther 
wall  of  the  cavern  could  be  dimly  seen,  and  Fred  esti- 
mated it  to  be  200  feet  distant,  which  represented  the 
diameter  of  the  rotund  cavern. 

Faint  gleams  of  scintillating  light  in  the  darkness 
above  intimated  the  nature  of  the  upper  part  of  the  ckve, 
and  what  beauties  might  be  revealed  wihen  artificial 
light  was  brought  to  bear  on  the  scene. 

"The  sun  is  now  shining  at  the  entrance  of  the  cave; 
let  us  go  back,  procure  some  dry  wood  and  resinous 
fagots,  if  possible,  and  we  will  return  here  and  build  a 
fire.  I  think  our  trouble  will  be  amply  repaid  by  the 
sight  that  will  be  unfolded  to  our  gaze,"  said  the  scien- 
tist. 

"You  think  this  is  a  stalactite  cave?"  said  Fred. 

"Yes,  and  one  of  rare  beauty,  too,"  rejoined  the  scien- 
tist as  he  and  Fred  returned  to  the  outer  air. 

They  collected  as  much  dry  wood  as  they  could  carry 
and  left  it  at  the  entrance  of  the  cave.  Then  Mr.  Ells- 
worth ignited  some  vegetable  down  with  his  sun-glass, 
and  with  this  cotton-like  substance  he  easily  lighted  some 
resinous  branches. 

Fred  went  ahead  with  all  the  wood  he  could  bear  and 
deposited  it  in  the  center  of  the  large  cavern,  on  the 
smooth  stalagmite  floor;  and  while  the  naturalist  was  ar- 
ranging the  fuel  and  applying  the  torch,  his  companion 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  99 

returned  and  brought  the  balance  of  the  wood  to  the 
place  selected  for  the  bonfire. 

The  fire  crackled  cheerily  and  the  tongues  of  flame 
leaped  six  feet  into  the  air,  shedding  a  mellow  light  even 
to  the  remotest  parts  of  the  cave.  The  explorers  were 
wonderstruck ;  they  were  almost  blinded  by  thousands 
of  rays  of  reflected  light,  which  came  from  the  crystalline 
walls  of  this  fairy-like  cavern. 

Some  fifty  feet  above  them  was  the  great,  irregular, 
dome-shaped  roof  of  the  chamber,  and  this  covering  was 
embellished  with  pendant  stalactites  daintily  colored  with 
various  oxides;  with  unique  clusters  of  floral  displays; 
with  garlands  and  tassels  of  translucent  crystals,  and 
myriads  of  rosettes  composed  of  gypsum,  so  that  the  gray 
limestone  was  nearly  hidden  from  view.  Here  and  there 
masses  hung  some  twenty  feet  from  the  roof,  resembling 
chandeliers  of  peculiar  patterns,  richly  bedecked  with 
cut-glass  prisms.  In  places  real  columns  had  been 
formed,  completely  uniting  the  calcareous  boss  on  the 
floor  with  the  stony  draperies  overhead. 

The  sides  of  the  cavern  were  as  rich  in  resplendent 
crystallizations  as  the  roof.  In  places  the  luster  of  the 
crystals  was  intensified  by  their  being  set,  as  it  were,  in 
beds  of  black  oxide  of  manganese.  Again  a  medley  of 
gypsum  rosettes,  and  those  peculiar  crystals  known  as 
oulopholites,  were  encountered;  and  these  would  be  fol- 
lowed by  a  drift  of  those  immaculate  crystals  of  the  sul- 
phate of  magnesia.  Next  a  bed  of  curiously  wrought 
tufa,  and  thus  were  these  beauties  of  nature  unfolded  to 
the  view  of  the  castaways.  Is  it  strange  that  they  gazed 
on  these  wonders  in  silent  awe? 

"Aladdin's  cave  could  not  have  been  more  wonderful 
than  this,"  said  Fred  after  a  while. 

"Not  more  beautiful,  but  much  richer  in  precious 
stones  and  metals,  according  to  the  ancient  fabricator," 
added  the  scientist  with  a' smile. 

"These    wonderful   productions    are    of    no    intrinsic 


100  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

worth,  from  a  worldly  point  of  view,  but  the  inspirations 
and  the  conceptions  they  instil  in  one's  soul  of  nature  are 
more  valuable  to  us  than  material  riches." 

"True,  Fred;  and  yet  how  few  there  are  that  can  regard 
these  things  in  that  light.  The  majority  would  say: 
'How  beautiful,'  and  in  the  same  breath,  'What  are  they 
worth?'" 

The  bonfire  had  now  burned  low,  and  it  warned  the 
castaways  that  considerable  time  had  been  spent  within 
the  cavern  and  that  night  was  fast  approaching. 

"We  cannot  finish  exploring  this  labyrinth  to-day, 
but  we  can  give  it  a  name  so  it  can  be  properly  entered 
on  our  map,"  said  Fred. 

"Will  not  Stalactite  Cave  be  both  appropriate  and 
euphonious?"    asked  the  scientist. 

"Are  you  a  mind  reader,  Mr.  Ellsworth?" 

"Not  to  my  knowledge.     Why?" 

"Because  you  selected  the  very  name  I  had  chosen/' 

"Then  our  choice  is  unanimous;  let  it  be  so  recorded." 

It  was  a  mile  and  a  half  to  Coral  Bay,  and  when  the 
explorers  arrived  at  the  palm  grove,  the  sun  had  set  be- 
hind Metropolitan  Hill. 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  101 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

LATITUDE    AND     LONGITUDE. 

The  next  Monday  morning,  which  was  the  28th  of  Feb- 
ruary, Fred  commenced  on  a  sign  for  the  signal  mast  on 
the  summit  of  Mount  Ellsworth.  He  felled  a  large  acacia 
tree  and  chopped  off  a  section  of  the  butt  about  seven 
feet  long,  which  he  carefully  split  into  rough  planks,  aided 
by  some  iron-wood  wedges.  These  boards  he  then 
hewed  down  thin  and*  smooth  on  one  side. 

Near  the  limestone  cliffs  on  Sylvan  Lake  Fred  had  found 
quite  a  large  deposit  of  a  substance  resembling  chalk,  and 
it  was  undoubtedly  of  crinoidal  origin.  He  now  rubbed 
the  smooth  sides  of  his  planks  with  this  chalky  substance 
until  they  were  as  white  as  driven  snow,  and  no  better 
results  could  have  been  obtained  with  the  real  Dover 
production. 

A  stick  of  soft  charcoal,  which  he  had  made  by  smoth- 
ered combustion,  served  as  a  marker.  He  printed  in 
large  plain  letters:  "TWO  CASTAWAYS  ON  NORTH 
SHORE.  COME  TO  THEIR  RESCUE."  This 
could  be  read  several  miles  away  by  the  aid  of  marine 
glasses. 

Fred  next  covered  the  chalk  and  charcoal  with  a  coat- 
ing of  a  transparent  resinous  pitch,  which,  when  dry, 
would  protect  the  letters  from  the  weather  for  some  time. 

A  few  days  later  the  pitch  had  hardened,  when  the 
planks  were  punctured  to  receive  some  strong  wooden 
pins,  which  were  designed  to  hold  the  boards  in  position 
on  the  mast. 

On  the  7th  of  March  the  castaways  again  ascended 
Mount  Ellsworth.  Fred  s'hinned  the  signal  pole,  which 
was  no  easy  matter  to  do,  and  then  drew  the  signs  up  by 


102  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

means  of  rope  made  of  creeping  plants.  After  consid- 
erable labor  and  persistency,  he  managed  to  get  the 
planks  in  place;  one  on  the  east  and  one  on  the  west  side 
of  the  pole.  Next  the  long,  hard-wood  pins,  with  large 
heads,  were  slipped  into  place  and  the  projecting  points 
split  and  wedged.  Then  wedges  were  driven  between 
the  pole  and  the  planks  and  tough  creepers  were  tightly- 
bound  around  the  whole,  when  the  signs  were  found  to  be 
held  firmly  in  position. 

Mr.  Ellsworth  suggested  pointing  the  signs  east  and 
west,  as  most  of  the  travel  in  tne  South  Pacific  is  in  those 
directions,  and  if  a  ship  should  come  in  sight  it  would  un- 
doubtedly pass  north  or  south  of  !^mpire  Islaind,  when 
the  signal  would  be  seen  to  the  best  advantage. 

March  15th  the  castaways  commenced  on  a  house,  which 
was  located  near  the  cocoanut  palms  and  on  the  shore 
of  Coral  Bay.  At  first  it  was  deemed  expedient  to  build 
their  habitation  on  Metropolitan  Hill,  but  after  mature  de- 
liberation they  abandoned  this  idea  and  decided  cm  the 
aforementioned  site.  The  summit  of  this  hill  was  objec- 
tionable, as  it  was  fully  exposed  'o  the  disastrous  storms 
which  were  liable  to  occur  in  this  latitude. 

The  structure  was  about  fifteen  feet  square,  and  it  was 
constructed  of  tree  trunks  from  four  to  eight  inches  in 
diameter,  and  built  in  the  regular  log-cabin  fashion.  The 
roof  was  thatched  with  palm  leaves,  and  the  interstices 
were  caulked  with  a  species  of  moss  which  grew  near  by. 
On  the  north  side  was  a  door-way  which  led  to  a  spacious 
veranda,  from  which  a  good  view  of  the  bay  and  a  long 
stretch  of  the  ocean  could  be  had.  The  other  three  sides 
each  had  a  square  window,  which  was  provided  with 
strong  shutters.  These  openings  allowed  excellent  ven- 
tilation, and  as  the  cabin  was  located  on  a  dry  knoll,  it 
could  not  be  otherwise  than  healthful. 

The  interior  was  furnished  with  two  three-legged 
stools,  a  square  ta!ble  and  two  single  bedsteads.    These 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  103 

articles  were  rough  and  clumsy,  but  they  served  their 
purpose  in  the  absence  of  more  elaborate  household  ne- 
cessities. 

Mr.  Ellsworth  placed  a  commodious  shelf  in  the  back 
part  of  the  cabin,  for  the  reception  of  his  collections, 
which  were  varied  and  multitudinous.  He  very  seldom 
returned,  from  even  a  short  excursion,  without  adding  to 
his  store. 

On  the  28th  of  March  the  house  was  pronounced  fin- 
ished, and  on  that  day  it  was  entered  on  the  map  as  Cocoa- 
nut  Grove  Cabin. 

Up  to  this  time  no  sign  of  human  life  had  been  de- 
tected on  Empire  Island,  and  the  horizon  had  not  been 
brokefti  by  the  appearance  of  a  sail,  or  even  smoke  from  a 
distant  steamship,  to  the  knowledge  of  the  castaways. 
The  two  men  felt  lonely  and  deserted  and  they  sometimes 
thought  that  their  whole  lives  might  have  to  be  spent  on 
this  isolated  island.  They  had  talked  of  building  a  boat 
large  enough  to  put  to  sea  in,  but  when  they  thought  of  the 
tools  they  had  to  work  with,  they  became  discouraged 
and  postponed  the  undertaking  indefinitely. 

They  were  now  due  at  home,  and  perhaps  already  the 
news  of  the  loss  of  the  Polynesia  had  reached  their  families 
and  friends,  and  they  were  being  mourned  for  as  dead. 

Fred  would  lie  for  hours,  some  nights,  thinking  of  his 
parents  and  of  Marion,  whom  he  had  not  seen  for  over  two 
years.  How  many  times  these  lovers  had  imagined  how 
sweet  the  meeting  would  be  and  with  what  pleasure  they 
would  approach  the  matrimonial  altar,  when  their  hap- 
piness would  be  complete.  It  was  cruel  to  part  them  at 
this  time. 

The  scientist  was  no  less  affected,  for  he  had  been  away 
from  home  and  family  much  longer  than  Fred,  and  he 
longed  to  see  his  kind,  loving  wife  and  his  little  girl, 
whom  he  adored.  How  she  must  have  grown  since  he 
saw  her  last!  It  was  very  difficult  to  bear — this  invol- 
untary detention  from  home  and  family. 


104  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

The  two  unfortunate  men  unreservedly  confided  in 
and  sympathized  with  each  other.  This  was  consoUng, 
but  it  did  not  materially  assist  them. 

In  the  meantime  they  continued  to  hope  that  some- 
thing would  happen  whereby  they  might  be  rescued  from 
their  present  exile.  However,  they  wisely  continued  to 
do  as  if  they  were  to  remain  on  the  island  for  the  balance 
of  their  earthly  existence. 

On  the  day  that  the  house  was  finished,  Mr.  Ellsworth 
suggested  that  they  spend  a  few  days  in  more  completely 
exploring  the  islet.  He  wished  to  follow  the  coast  until 
they  had  been  entirely  around  the  island  making  such 
interior  excursions  during  the  tour  as  circumstances 
seemed  to  make  advisable. 

Fred  was  perfectly  agreeable,  as  he  thought  some- 
thing to  their  advantage  might  be  learned,  and  then  it 
would  take  up  their  minds,  divert  their  thoughts  from 
their  troubles,  and  possibly  add  to  their  list  of  edibles. 

The  castaways  had  made  some  very  serviceable  bows 
and  arrows  and  Fred,  by  diligent  practice,  had  become 
proficient  in  using  them.  He  could  hit  a  fruit  pigeon 
distant  two  or  three  rods  nearly  every  time,  and  he  had  no 
difficulty  in  keeping  their  larder  well  supplied  with  their 
delicate  flesh. 

Mr.  Ellsworth  had  made  fish  lines  of  a  tough  fiber 
which  he  obtained  from  the  leaf  of  a  species  of  palm,  and 
hooks  of  bone.  While  Fred  was  hunting  in  the  forests 
the  scientist  would  angle  for  the  denizens  of  the  deep, 
and  he  was  unusually  successful;  consequently  their 
table  was  well  supplied  with  fish  and  game,  and  also 
with  numerous  fruits  indigenous  to  Empire  Island. 

The  scientist  was  skilled  in  the  piscatorial  sport,  and  he 
was  undecided  whether  he  would  rather  spend  his  time 
at  Coral  Bay  or  at  Sylvan  Lake,  so  he  would  go  to  those 
places  alternately. 

Wednesday  morning,  March  30th,  the  castaways  start- 
ed on  their  tour  of  investigation  before  the  sun  appeared 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  105 

above  the  eastern  horizon.  They  followed  the  northeast 
shore  and  found  that  quite  rapid  progress  could  be  made. 
Even  at  high  tide  there  was  a  narrow  pebbled  beach  on 
which  they  could  walk  with  ease  and  freedom.  Above 
this  there  was  a  belt  of  tough  grass  with  sharp  edges  and 
needle-like  points.  It  was  very  uncomfortable  walking 
in  this  grass,  as  the  sharp  terminations  would  not  only 
puncture  the  clothes,  but  the  skin  as  well,  so  the  explorers 
kept  to  the  shingle,  unless  something  attracted  their 
attention,  when  they  would  carefully  investigate  it  before 
proceeding. 

This  beach  was  strewn  with  beautiful  shells  and  many 
strange  forms  of  marine  life,  while  the  salt  grass  was  fairly 
alive  with  crustaceans,  which  were  constantly  running 
under  the  feet  of  the  travelers.  Occasionally,  too,  marsh 
birds  would  be  flushed,  but  they  were  too  quick  for  Fred 
to  secure  with  an  arrow,  for  so  far  he  had  been  unable  to 
shoot  game  on  the  wing. 

Before  the  sun  appeared  over  the  water  the  explorers 
were  half  way  to  Cape  Garfield.  The  solar  orb  appeared 
large  and  very  red  as  it  peeped  above  the  slightly  agitated 
Pacific,  and  radiated  a  broad  ray  of  dazzling  light  from 
the  distant  line  where  earth  and  sky  seemed  to  meet  to 
the  shore  of  Empire  Island.  The  dancing  waves  afford- 
ing a  chance  for  thousands  of  brilliant  scintillations,  and 
the  ocean  seemed  to  be  ablaze  with  gems  of  the  first 
water. 

It  was  an  exhilarating  morning  and  the  delicious  ozone 
of  the  atmosphere,  which  was  impregnated  with  the  odor 
of  the  sea,  was  invigorating  for  the  lungs  to  inhale. 

While  tramping  along  in  silence  Fred  detected  a  cluck- 
ing sound  in  the  adjacent  forest;  he  cautiously  ap- 
proached the  spot  and  succeeded  in  getting  within  two 
rods  of  the  authors  of  the  sounds.  In  an  open  space  just 
ahead,  was  a  flock  of  gallinaceous  birds  which  resembled 
the  spruce  or  Canada  grouse  of  America  in  size  and  mark- 
ing.    Possibly  they  were  a  trifle  more  sombre  in  color. 


106  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

After  admiring  these  proud  and  graceful  birds  for  a  few 
seconds,  Fred  took  deliberate  aim  at  a  plump  male  and 
liberated  the  shaft.  The  twang  of  the  bow-string  was 
followed  by  a  deafening  whirr  as  the  frightened  flock 
arose  and  disappeared  in  a  dense  thicket.  One  bird  was 
left  behind  lying  on  the  ground,  transfixed  with  Fred's 
unerring  arrow. 

Grouse  are  excellent  eating,  and  this  one  was  very  ac- 
ceptable to  the  castaways.  Fred  tried  to  get  another  shot, 
but  the  birds  were  too  wary  for  that;  he  could  not  find 
them  again. 

That  night  camp  was  made  on  the  southeast  extremity 
of  the  island.  A  rounded  rocky  promontory,  fringed  by 
a  coral  reef  formed  the  termination  of  land  in  that  direc- 
tion. The  explorers  had  not  progressed  rapidly;  they 
were  not  over  six  miles,  by  the  shore  route,  from  Coral 
Bay. 

As  they  were  approaching  the  promontory  Mr.  Ells- 
worth made  a  valuable  discovery.  It  was  a  custard-apple 
shrub,  from  which  he  plucked  a  goodly  quantity  of  the 
ripe  fruit.  The  exterior  integument  of  these  apples  was 
dark-brown,  regularly  pitted,  imparting  the  appearance 
of  an  over-baked  cracker;  the  soft,  reddish-yellow  pulp 
was  sweet  and  very  palatable.  This  find  formed  an  im- 
portant acquisition  to  the  supper. 

The  scientist  admonished  Fred  not  to  eat  the  seeds,  as 
they  are  said  to  be  poisonous. 

Fred  did  not  give  this  statement  much  credence,  but  it 
did  not  matter,  as  he  wanted  to  save  the  seeds.  The 
castaways  might  not  remain  on  the  island  long,  but  it 
would  surely  do  no  harm  to  plant  these  seeds  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  Cocoanut  Grove  Cabin. 

That  evening  the  moon,  planets  and  stars  illuminated 
the  island  and  the  broad  expanse  of  ocean  with  a  calm, 
mellow  light.  The  southern  constellations,  especially  the 
Southern  Cross,  glittered  in  the  firmament;  the  atmos- 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  107 

phere  was  clear,  and  the  water  was  not  rippled  by  the 
slightest  breeze. 

The  castaways  sat  on  the  conglomerate  rocks  and  si- 
lently drank  in  the  incomparable  beauties  of  nature,  while 
the  huge  bats  and  insects,  in  countless  numbers,  flew 
around,  and  their  combined  utterances  made  a  continu- 
ous hum  and  chatter. 

Mr.  Ellsworth  had  no  star  chart,  but  he  was  able  to  tell 
all  the  principal  groups,  and  the  first  and  second  magni- 
tude stars.  He  had  become  familiar  with  these  during 
his  sojourn  in  the  southern  hemisphere.  As  he  gazed  at 
some  of  the  distant  orbs,  which  he  knew  to  be  suns  much 
larger  than  ours  and  so  far  away  that  light  years  have 
to  be  employed  in  order  that  one  may  comprehend 
their  remoteness,  he  could  not  help  thinking  what  insig- 
nificant things  human  beings  are. 

"May  I  ask  of  what  you  are  so  deeply  thinking?"  in- 
terposed Fred. 

The  scientist  told  his  thoughts  and  then  continued : 

"The  earth  itself  is  nothing  but  a  molecule  compared 
with  some  of  the  giant  bodies  which  are  rushing  through 
space,  and  we  are  but  parasites  feeding  and  living  but  a 
short  time  on  its  surface.  Then  just  think  how  some  men 
pass  their  lives,  carrying  their  heads  high  and  thinking 
themselves  far  superior  to  their  fellow-beings.  These 
men  are  to  be  pitied;  they  have  but  a  superficial  knowl- 
edge of  science  and  of  nature;  they  may  have  had  a  sys- 
tematic education  and  still  be  ignorant  of  a  thousand  and 
one  things  which  have  a  tendency  to  make  a  student 
humble,  instead  of  self-conceited  and  arrogant.  The 
latter  class  of  men  are  usually  subservient  to  the  golden 
god,  and  in  their  rush  for  the  almighty  dollar  they  be- 
come bigoted  and  blinded  to  those  things  which  lift  the 
soul,  so  to  speak,  to  the  higher  realms  of  thought.  They 
are  ignorant,  as  a  rule,  of  the  greater  part  of  the  knowl- 
edge possessed  by  mankind ;  so  they  think  they  know  it 
all.     If  you  should  ask  these  men  their  opinion  concern- 


108  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

ing  the  nidificaticn  of  the  Apteryx,  the  probable  size  and 
nature  of  the  ichthyosaurus,  or  pterodactyle ;  the  future 
revelations  of  Sanskrit,  the  climatic  effect  of  the  preces- 
sion of  the  equinoxes,  the  probable  origin  of  the  first 
protoplasmic  cell,  or  the  reoccurrence  of  the  glacial  epoch 
through  orbital  eccentricity  of  the  terrestrial  sphere, 
they  would  undoubtedly  want  to  know  what  those  things 
were." 

"And  I  should  not  blame  them  much  if  they  did," 
thought  Fred,  and  then  aloud  he  said: 

"Do  you  attribute  the  great  ice  age  to  the  shifting  of 
the  polar  incHnation?" 

"The  causes  which  brought  the  glacial  epoch  about 
may  never  be  known  as  positive  facts,  but  there  are  many 
existing  theories  to  account  for  it.  I,  on  this  subject,  like 
a  great  many  other  important  questions,  am  in  doubt  as 
to  the  actual  cause  or  causes.  However,  I  am  not  for  or 
against  any  one  theory.  It  may  be  that  the  earth  was 
drawn  out  of  its  orbit  by  some  large  body  approaching  it 
near  enough  to,  in  a  measure,  overcome  the  sun's  mag- 
netism, or  the  northern  hemisphere  may  have  been  turned 
away  from  the  solar  orb  long  enough,  through  the  pre- 
cession of  the  equinoxes,  to  have  caused  the  period  of 
glaciation. 

"It  is  now  generally  understood  that  the  solar  system 
has  a  forward  motion  in  space  of  about  five  miles  a  second. 
Now,  suppose  that  from  the  nebulous  stage  of  our  sys- 
tem to  the  present  time,  is  represented  by  a  period  of  400 
million  years,  and  this  is  neither  the  minimum  nor  the 
maximum  estimate;  does  it  not  follow  that  the  point  of 
space  that  we  occupied  in  the  beginning  is  now  so  far 
away  that  the  largest  sun  known  to  astronomers,  if  placed 
at  that  point  could  not  be  seen  from  the  earth  even  if  we 
searched  for  it  with  our  largest  telescope?" 

"Yes,  unless  we  have  not  been  moving  at  the  velocity 
which  you  state,  all  of  the  time  from  chaos  to  the  pres- 
ent," Fred  replied. 


FREDERICK    YOU  NO.  109 

"If  any  thing,  I  think  we  were  moving  with  greater 
speed  in  the  remote  ages  than  we  are  now ;  it  is  more  ra- 
tional to  conjecture  that  the  velocity  of  a  body  through 
space  is  diminished  as  it  progresses,  than  it  is  to  think 
that  the  speed  of  a  body  is  accelerated. 

*'If  we  base  our  conclusions  on  the  established  velocity 
of  five  miles  a  second,  the  result  is  astonishing.  You 
make  the  computation  and  you  will  find  that  we  have 
traveled  over  sixty-three  quadrillions  of  miles.  Of 
course  one  cannot  comprehend  that  vast  distance,  so  I 
will  endeavor  to  make  it  more  apparent  by  illustration. 
Do  you  know  the  star  group  called  Orion?" 

"I  do,  and  I  see  it  now,  off  over  Mount  Ellsworth," 
Fred  replied. 

"And  you  know  which  star  of  that  group  is  called 
Rigel?" 

"Yes." 

"Well  that  distant  sun  is  490  light-years  away  accord- 
ing to  recent  calculation;  and  that  is  nearly  three  qua- 
drillion miles,  or  about  one  twenty-first  of  the  distance 
that  I  have  calculated  that  the  solar  system  has  traveled 
from  Alpha  to  the  present." 

"By  that  I  am  to  understand  that  it  takes  light,  at  the 
normal  velocity  of  186,000  miles  a  second,  490  years  to 
flash  from  Rigel  to  the  earth;  and  over  10,000  years  to 
traverse  the  path  over  which  our  system  has  traveled," 
said  Fred. 

"Exactly,  but  this,  you  must  bear  in  mind,  is  a  rough 
calculation.  An  accurate  one  would  give  a  slightly 
greater  number  of  years." 

"It  is  very  evident  that  as  an  atom  is  to  the  earth,  so  is 
our  system  to  the  universe,"  said  Fred,  and  then  a  long 
silence  ensued. 

After  a  while  Fred  suddenly  said: 

"Are  you  aware  that  the  Polynesia  is  overdue  at  Callao 
some  three  weeks,  and  that  the  owners  and  underwriters 
must  be  anxious  for  the  safety  of  the  ship  by  this  time?" 


110  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

"Yes,  Fred,  I  thought  of  that  ten  days  ago,  but  I  did 
not  want  to  create  unpleasant  thoughts  then  by  referring 
to  it." 

"I  wonder  if  they  have  heard  of  it  at  home  yet?  Poor 
mother!  Poor  Marion!  I  am  afraid  they  will  take  the 
news  greatly  to  heart  when  it  reaches  them.  They  have 
been  looking  forward  to  my  home-coming  so  long,  and 
now  we  may  be  separated  for  years.  It  is  very  hard  to 
bear." 

"I  would  not  trouble  myself  about  these  things,"  said 
the  scientist,  "for  we  may  reach  home  before  the  news  of 
the  loss  of  our  ship  does.  The  company  will  not  give  the 
Polynesia  up  for  lost  for  a  month  yet,  unless  they  have 
positive  proof  of  the  disaster." 

"You  forget  the  other  boat,  Mr.  Ellsworth,  she  may 
have  reached  some  port  before  now." 

"Or  it  may  have  met  with  no  better  fate  than  our  own. 
If  the  first  life-boat  was  in  mid-ocean  during  that  storm 
I  am  afraid  she  fared  badly.  Then  the  people  in  that  boat 
did  not  know  but  that  the  second  boat  and  the  balance 
of  the  crew  and  passengers  escaped  safely  from  the  wreck. 
You  will  recollect  that  the  first  boat  had  gotten  out  of 
sight  in  the  fog,  before  the  accident  which  swamped 
our  boat  happened." 

"I  sincerely  hope  that  all  in  the  first  boat  have  been  or 
will  be  safely  delivered  from  their  perilous  position,  and 
I  also  hope  that  we  will  reach  home  before  an  account  of 
the  catastrophe  is  published  in  the  newspapers,"  said 
Fred. 

"Let  us  trust  that  all  will  end  well,"  added  the  scientist. 

After  a  time  Fred  said,  to  break  the  current  of  their 
thoughts : 

"Mr.  Ellsworth,  how  do  you  account  for  the  origin  of 
the  earth  and  other  bodies  in  space?" 

"In  space,"  Mr.  Ellsworth  began,  "there  are  cloud-like 
masses  called  nebulae.  These  masses  are  so  large  that 
we  cannot  conceive  of  their  vastness.  This  matter,  accord- 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  Ill 

ing  to  the  infallible  spectroscope,  is  composed  of  gases 
and  solids  similar  to  those  that  go  to  make  up  the  sub- 
stance of  the  earth.  Through  some  cause  this  matter, 
back  in  the  impenetrable  vistas  of  antiquity,  was  set  in  a 
circular  motion;  possibly  a  meteor  or  a  comet  plunged 
into  the  mass  and  formed  a  sort  of  whirlpool,  or  unequal 
temperature  may  have  caused  the  motion.  One  mole- 
cule followed  another  by  the  force  of  magnetic  attraction, 
or  gravitation  as  it  is  called,  until  a  large  disk-like  mass 
had  been  set  in  rapid  motion.  This  disk  did  not  assume 
its  shape  in  a  day,  and  possibly  not  in  a  million  years;  its 
diameter  was  so  large  that  trillions  of  miles  were  perhaps 
necessary  to  represent  its  size.  At  a  distance  it  shone 
like  a  massive  sun.  The  motion  of  the  mass  caused  fric- 
tion of  the  component  molecules ;  which  in  turn  produced 
heat  sufficiently  great  to  melt  if  not  vaporize  the  whole 
disk,  and,  consequently,  expand  it  to  greater  dimensions 
than  it  had  originally.  This  was  our  solar  system  in  its 
primary  form.  Finally  on  the  outer  part  of  the  disk  the 
centrifugal  force  became  more  powerful  than  the  cen- 
tripetal, and  as  a  consequence  a  ring  was  thrown  oflF  inde- 
pendent of  the  great  central  mass.  After  a  time  this  ring 
lost  its  equilibrium  and  broke,  when  the  matter  which 
constituted  it  gradually  came  together  and  formed  what 
is  now  known  as  the  planet  Neptune.  Of  course  this  mass 
at  that  time  was  much  larger  than  it  is  now,  and  it  was  also 
intensely  hot.  Since,  it  has  contracted  and  crusted  over, 
but  it  has  retained  the  motions  of  revolution  on  its  axis 
and  the  orbital  motion  around  the  great  central  nucleus. 
Uranus,  Saturn,  Jupiter,  Mars,  Earth,  Venus  and  Mer- 
cury were  evidently  formed  in  the  same  way  by  successive 
rings  being  thrown  off.  The  central  mass  concentrated 
and  formed  the  sun. 

"When  the  rings  broke  and  formed  separate  masses 
they  had  a  rotatory  motion,  and  probably  they  in  turn 
threw  off  rings  which  formed  satellites  to  the  various 
planets.     Saturn's  rings  were  undoubtedly  formed  in  the 


112  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

same  way,  only  they  did  not  break;  they  maintained  their 
equihbrium. 

"This  theory  originated  with  Laplace,  and  since  he 
expounded  his  ideas  astronomers  have  discovered  many 
facts  to  uphold  and  strengthen  the  theory, 

"Powerful  telescopes  have  revealed  ring-like  masses 
of  nebulae  in  the  constellations  Orion  and  Andromeda, 
which  are,  without  doubt,  new  systems  forming.  When 
they  reach  a  life-bearing  stage  our  system  will  probably 
have  been  dark  and  lifeless  for  millions  of  years." 

"The  universe  is,  indeed,  wonderful  to  contemplate, 
and  it  is  astonishing  how  such  insignificant  beings  as 
ourselves  can  learn  as  much  as  we  do  concerning  bodies 
beyond  the  atmosphere  of  our  globe,"  Fred  added. 

"Anyone  can  become  reasonably  familiar  with  these 
things  by  a  little  study,  A  small  achromatic  telescope 
of,  say  thirty-five  diameters  magnifying  power,  will  reveal 
many  beautiful  views.  With  this  instrument  one  can  see 
the  larger  fields  of  meteoric  dust,  Saturn  and  his  rings, 
the  disks  of  the  nearer  planets,  and  many  things  of  great 
interest." 

"Do  you  think  there  is  any  limit  to  the  universe?  or, 
in  other  words,  do  you  think  if  we  should  travel  on  a  line 
into  space,  that  after  a  time  we  would  pass  beyond  the 
heavenly  bodies,  so  that  in  time  none  would  be  visible?" 
inquired  Fred. 

"Fred,  you  ask  more  than  man,  at  the  present  state 
of  our  knowledge,  is  capable  of  answering,  I  have  pon- 
dered over  this  and  kindred  subjects  a  great  deal,  and 
sometimes  I  almost  get  lost  when  trying  to  follow  my 
own  ideas. 

"At  the  present  time  our  most  powerful  refractors,  in 
conjunction  with  the  camera,  are  capable  of  revealing 
some  400  million  stars;  and  only  a  few  of  these  have  been 
measured.  In  fact,  our  methods  of  procedure  and  the 
instruments  at  our  command,  are  not  capable  of  giving 
a  perceptible  parallax,  save  when  applied  to  a  few  of  the 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  113 

nearest  stars.  I  have  told  you  about  Rigel,  and  that  is 
the  best  example  of  star  remoteness  that  I  can  now  give. 
It  has  been  suggested  that  36,000  years  would  be  con- 
sumed for  light  to  travel  from  the  most  distant  visible  star 
to  our  system,  and  it  is  my  opinion  that  if  we  were  to  go  as 
far  again  beyond  this  distant  body,  that  we  would  see 
just  as  many  suns  off  in  boundless  space.  Of  course, 
human  beings  cannot  conceive  of  anything  without  end, 
and  we  apply  this  reasoning  to  the  universe;  it  may  be 
vast,  but  we  cannot  think  that  it  is  limitless.  The  future 
may  reveal  these  things;  at  least,  it  is  useless  to  say  that 
we  shall  never  know  what  now  so  much  mystifies  us." 

"We  may  learn  about  these  things  after  death,"  re- 
turned Fred. 

"Yes,  and  our  posterity  may  learn  them  before  their 
spirits  leave  the  flesh,"  rejoined  the  scientist. 

"That  seems  impossible,  Mr.  Ellsworth." 

"It  is  useless  to  say  that,  Fred.  I  remember  reading 
of  a  noted  European  philosopher  who  gave  a  scientific 
lecture  before  an  audience  about  100  years  ago.  He 
said  that  it  was  unwise  to  say  that  anything  is  impossible, 
but  we  may  say  that  we  shall  never  know  what  the  stars 
are  made  of;  we  cannot  reach  them,  and  we  cannot  ob- 
tain elements  from  them ;  we  have  but  the  sense  of  sight 
and,  of  course,  we  cannot  scrutinize  a  body,  even  with  a 
powerful  magnifying  power,  so  as  to  tell  of  what  it  is  com- 
posed, especially  when  it  is  separated  from  us  by  millions 
of  miles.  Now,  this  philosopher  thought  he  was  per- 
fectly safe  in  making  these  assertions,  and  probably  each 
person  present  coincided  with  him  in  his  remarks.  And 
yet  to-day  we  know,  thanks  to  the  spectroscope,  of  what 
the  sun,  stars  and  other  self-luminous  bodies  are  com- 
posed. It  makes  no  difference  how  far  away  a  body  is, 
nor  how  fast  it  is  traversing  space,  the  little  glass  prism 
and  the  spectroscopic  scale  will  not  only  reveal  its  in- 
gredients, but  its  velocity  of  recession  or  approach  as 
v.ell." 


114  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

"You  may  be  right,"  said  Fred.  "The  theory  regard- 
ing the  origin  of  the  earth  and  the  other  members  of  the 
solar  system,  is  surely  worthy  of  serious  consideration 
and,  in  fact,  I  am  quite  sure  it  accounts  for  a  great  many 
things  .which  have  never  been  otherwise  accounted  for. 

"Now,  Mr.  Ellsworth,  may  I  ask  how,  in  your  opinion, 
man  and  other  animated  beings  came  on  the  earth?" 

"When  the  earth  first  assumed  a  spherical  form,  as  I 
have  previously  stated,  it  was  in  a  molten  condition.  Its 
temperature  was  so  high  that  scientists  cannot  possibly 
admit  that  life  germs  could  have  survived  such  excessive 
heat,  even  if  they  existed  in  the  original  nebulous  mass. 
Therefore,  if  man  or  the  first  protoplasmic  cell  was  not 
spontaneously  generated,  where  did  the  germ  spring 
from?  Possibly  a  meteor  from  outer  space  contained 
this  germ,  and  it  may  have  reached  the  earth's  surface 
intact." 

"But,"  interposed  Fred,  "if  this  germ  was  near  the  ex- 
terior of  that  meteor  would  it  not  have  been  killed  by  the 
heat  generated  by  atmospheric  friction?" 

"It  might  have  been." 

"And  if  it  was  in  the  interior  how  could  it  have  become 
liberated?" 

"It  often  happens  that  these  bodies  from  the  great 
beyond,  just  before  reaching  the  ground,  break  into  frag- 
ments. The  one  which  I  am  supposing  arrived  back  in 
azoic  times,  may  have  burst  in  the  same  way,  and  safely 
landed  its  precious  burden  on  the  soil  it  was  destined  to 
populate  with  many  strange  forms." 

"Your  argument  is  certainly  plausible,  but  it  does  not 
account  for  creation  to  my  entire  satisfaction,"  said  Fred. 

"No  doubt  you  want  to  know  how  the  protoplasmic 
cell  originated." 

"That  query  naturally  suggests  itself." 

"To  this  question  I  cannot  reply,  but  I  have  no  doubt 
that  a  great  many  of  the  millions  of  suns  known  to  as- 
tronomers have  inhabited  worlds  revolving  around  them, 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  115 

and  there  are  numerous  ways  that  germs  from  these 
spheres  might  find  their  way  to  this  planet.  I  do  not 
mean  to  say  that  this  is  my  opinion,  for  it  is  but  a  supposi- 
tion. My  mind  is  unsettled  on  these  questions.  The 
majority  of  scientists,  I  am  incHned  to  think,  lean  toward 
the  single  cell  theory  and  evolution.  They  think  that 
development  and  modification  will  continue  as  long  as 
the  external  environments  are  suitable  for  organic  ex- 
istence. 

"Now,  we  must  take  into  consideration,"  continued  the 
scientist,  "the  fact,  that  for  a  long  period  after  the  crust 
was  formed  on  the  earth,  a  high  temperature  necessarily 
existed;  that  the  atmosphere  was  heavily  charged  with 
moisture,  carbon,  and  gases  that  would  be  fatal  to  man. 
Men  of  science  have  never  studied  those  conditions,  and 
they  never  can  do  so.  We  do  not  know  what  chemical 
combinations  took  place  in  those  days,  under  those  pe- 
culiar conditions;  it  is  possible  that  therein  lies  the  ex- 
planation to  the  very  mystery  that  we  have  been  discussing 
— the  origin  of  life. 

"There  is  still  another  idea  to  be  considered.  We 
computed  the  distance  the  earth  has  probably  traveled 
from  nebulosity  to  sphere,  and  during  that  long  journey 
we  do  not  know  but  that  the  earth  passed  through  por- 
tions of  space  that  were  much  different  from  that  which 
we  are  now  traversing.  It  may  have  been  so  constituted, 
that  life  germs  were  created  by  its  influence.  Because 
chemists  have  only  discovered  some  sixty-five  elements 
on  the  earth,  it  is  no  reason  to  suppose  that  there  are  no 
more  in  the  make-up  of  the  universe;  and  because  we 
know  the  laws  of  the  known  substances,  it  is  no  reason 
that  we  should  presume  to  understand,  or  even  surmise, 
what  the  peculiarities  of  elements  foreign  to  our  sphere 
are. 

"Mr.  Ellsworth,  it  is  very  hard  for  me  to  believe  that 
the  existent,  complicated,  terrestrial  forms  ever  came 
from  a  rudimentary  mollusk." 


116  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

"It  is  also  very  difficult  for  me  to  believe  it,  Fred; 
but,  then,  remarkable  modifications  are  known  to  have 
taken  place.  If  it  is  true,  the  development  took  place 
so  slowly  that  millions  of  years  must  have  elapsed  during 
the  process  of  evolution.  Minor  changes  have  taken 
place  during  the  history  of  man,  especially  in  the  vegeta- 
ble kingdom;  and  the  vegetable  and  the  animal  king- 
doms are  so  closely  connected  that  it  is  almost  impossible 
to  draw  the  line  of  demarkation  between  them.  It  is  not 
yet  known  for  a  certainty  whether  the  Diatomacae  belong 
to  -the  animal  or  the  vegetable  family.  At  first  it  was 
classed  with  the  former,  but  it  is  now  included  with  the 
latter.  A  recently  discovered  peculiarity  of  these  minute 
organisms  teaches  me  to  believe  that  they  belong  to  the 
animal  kingdom;  they  are  certainly  endowed  with  ani- 
mation. Many  sea  forms  closely  approach  each  other; 
the  sponges  and  sea-anemones  when  hastily  examined 
seem  to  belong  to  the  vegetable  side,  but  they  really 
belong  to  the  opposite  class. 

"Who  would  think  to  look  at  the  modern,  perfected 
orange,  that  a  few  centuries  ago  it  was  an  insignificant 
pear-shaped  fruit  no  larger  than  a  cherry,  and  of  an  ex- 
ceedingly acrid  flavor?  Many  other  fruits  by  careful 
cultivation  and  a  change  of  environments,  have  been 
greatly  modified.  An  exhaustive  knowledge  of  emby- 
ology  helps  one  to  a  better  understanding  of  evolution. 
One  perfectly  ignorant  of  kindred  studies  cannot  be  ex- 
pected to  accept  evolutionary  theories ;  but  he  is  the  one 
who  heaps  ridicule  upon  the  shoulders  of  the  scientist 
One  will  be  greatly  benefited  by  following  up  this  line 
of  thought,  and  I  would  advise  all  who  can  spare  the 
time,  to  do  it.  They  will  be  greatly  impressed;  their 
ridicule  will  be  changed  to  awe." 

The  next  morning,  after  eating  a  cold  breakfast  of 
baked  grouse,  crayfish  and  cocoanuts,  the  castaways  con- 
tinued their  journey  along  the  coast.     The  character  of 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  111! 

the  country  was  about  the  same  as  that  traversed  the  day 
previous. 

About  8  o'clock  Handford  River  was  reached,  and  the 
explorers  found  it  impossible  to  cross  the  stream  without 
taking  to  the  water.  It  was  surely  one-fourth  of  a  mile 
wide  at  the  mouth,  and  the  banks  were  steep  and  rocky. 
There  was  no  alternative;  they  must  swim  across  the 
water-course;  so  they  did  their  clothes  up  in  compact 
bundles,  fastened  them  on  their  heads  and  entered  the 
water.  The  explorers  were  soon  on  the  west  bank,  when 
they  proceeded  on  their  journey. 

During  the  forenoon  many  of  the  so-called  flying-foxes 
were  caught  napping.  They  were  hanging  from  the  hori- 
zontal branches  of  the  forest  trees  in  the  deep  umbrageous 
seclusion ;  and  with  the  folds  of  their  membraneous  wings 
gathered  around  their  bodies  they  resembled  pendant, 
shriveled  leaves.  Where  one  was  found  a  dozen  or  more 
were  sure  to  be  discovered  in  the  near  vicinity. 

"Mr.  Ellsworth,  do  you  know  anything  about  these 
huge  bats?  Are  they  the  blood-sucking  vampires  we 
read  of?"  questioned- Fred  as  he  poked  one  of  the  animals 
with  a  stick, 

"I  am  somewhat  acquainted  with  these  strange  mam- 
mals, which  are  known  to  naturalists  by  the  name  of  fox- 
bats.  There  are  sixty-live  species  now  known,  which  are 
strictly  frugivorous,  and  not  blood-sucking  animals. 
Their  habitat  covers  an  extensive  territory,  and  they  are 
indigenous  to  the  islands  of  Polynesia  and  Australia; 
they  are  nocturnal,  gregarious,  going  in  large  companies, 
and  sometimes  being  found  suspended  from  the  trees  by 
the  thousand.  You  can  imagine  how  destructive  a  large 
flock  would  be  on  an  inhabited  island,  for  they  feed  on  all 
kinds  of  fruit  and  especially  on  the  cocoanut  and  mango. 
About  twilight  they  leave  the  forests  and  sally  forth  to 
devastate  the  (gardens  and  plantations  of  the  natives,  and 
unless  the  owners  take  the  precaution  to  protect  their 
trees  waste  and  desolation  follow.    The  flying-foxes  are 


118  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

exceedingly  voracious  and  very  intemperate.  They  drink 
the  sap,  called  'toddy'  by  the  natives,  from  the  chatties 
in  the  cocoanut  trees,  and  they  imbibe  so  freely  that  they 
are  often  found  the  next  morning  at  the  foot  of  the  trees 
in  a  state  of  semi-intoxication,  when  they  are  easily  cap- 
tured. These  bats  have  one  redeeming  quahty;  their 
diet  is  strictly  confined  to  fruit,  so  their  flesh,  which  re- 
sembles that  of  the  rabbit,  is  tender  and  by  many  is  es- 
teemed a  delicacy." 

Whack!  went  Fred's  stick,  and  down  fell  a  fruit-eat- 
ing fox  which  measured  four  feet  from  tip  to  tip. 

"We  will  dine  on  roast  bat  to-day,"  said  Fred  as  he 
felled  three  of  the  animals  and  gathered  them  from  among 
the  ferns  and  orchids. 

Mr.  Ellsworth  laughed  at  Fred's  enthusiasm,  and  then 
they  continued  on  their  way,  leaving  the  remaining  foxes 
undisturbed. 

The  scientist  caught  the  sound  of  a  peculiar  note  some 
rods  from  the  beach,  shortly  after  leaving  the  resting 
place  of  the  flying  foxes.  He  immediately  entered  the 
forest  to  investigate. 

Fred  followed,  with  arrow  placed. 

They  soon  came  to  some  stately  trees  fifty  feet  in 
height,  which  spread  out  branches  densely  clothed  with 
foliage  of  a  beautiful  glossy  green;  and  among  the  ver- 
dant leaves  was  a  flock  of  birds,  delicate  in  coloring, 
graceful  in  form,  but  their  harsh  utterances  were  sadly 
lacking  in  harmony. 

"Ah,  I  thought  so!"  exclaimed  the  scientist  as  he  saw 
the  beautiful  birds. 

"Cockatoos,"  said  Fred. 

"Assuredly,  my  friend,  a  species  of  Cacatuidae,  known 
as  the  sulphur-crested  cockatoo,  and  in  my  mind  one  of 
the  most  delicately  colored  birds  found  in  the  South 
Pacific  islands." 

There  were  surely  fifteen  individuals  in  the  flock;  some 
were  pruning  their  feathers,  apparently  unconscious  of 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  119 

the  explorers'  presence,  but  the  majority  were  comically 
turning  their  heads  and  peering  down  at  the  intruders. 
In  general  these  birds  were  pure  white;  their  crest,  which 
was  five  inches  high,  and  their  ear  and  tail  coverts  were 
pure  sulphur-yellow,  while  their  large  beak  was  short, 
strong  and  much  curved. 

"Fred,  I  want  a  pair  of  those,"  said  Mr.  Ellsworth. 

"Are  they  good  to  eat?" 

"Possibly,  some  scansorial  birds  are.  I  want  them  for 
their  skins;  they  will  form  a  valuable  acquisition  to  my 
collection." 

Fred  raised  his  bow  and  drew  the  bow-string;  he 
sighted  along  the  arrow  an  instant,  and  then  let  the  shaft 
fly.  It  did  not  leave  the  bow  squarely;  it  went  sidewise, 
as  it  was  skillfully  designed  to  do,  and  a  pair  of  cocka- 
toos were  struck  by  it  just  below  the  head.  They  fell  to 
the  ground  with  skins  unbruised,  but  their  necks  were 
broken;  death  had  been  instantaneous.  It  was,  truly, 
too  bad  to  kill  such  birds  even  in  the  interest  of  science. 

"Well  done,  you  will  soon  rival  Dr.  Carver  in  accurate 
markmanship,"  said  Mr.  Ellsworth,  as  he  carefully 
plugged  the  mouths  and  nostrils  of  his  specimens  and 
slipped  them  into  palm  leaf  cornucopiae. 

The  cockatoos,  when  the  arrow  struck  among  them, 
arose  into  the  air,  circled  around  a  few  times  and  then 
foolishly  alighted  in  the  branches  of  the  same  tree  from 
which  they  had  flown.  Fortunately  for  them  the  scien- 
tist had  obtained  all  the  specimens  that  he  required. 

Meanwhile  Fred  had  found  some  sort  of  greenish-yel- 
low fruit  lying  among  the  leaves,  and  he  was  curious  to 
know  what  it  might  be.     He  carried  it  to  Mr  Ellsworth. 

"Why,  this  is  a  wild  mango,  and  a  valuable  find. 
Where  did  you  discover  it?" 

"Beneath  those  trees  where  the  cockatoos  were,"  an- 
swered Fred. 

"Really,  these  are  mango  trees;  I  was  so  enrapt  with 
the  birds  that  I  did  not  notice." 


120  FREDERIC K    YOUNG. 

Fred  sampled  one  of  the  mangoes,  but  the  contortions 
of  his  countenance,  and  the  way  that  the  fruit  was  sent 
whizzing  into  a  neighboring  thicket  a  second  later  did 
not  forcibly  vouch  for  the  lusciousness  of  the  mango. 

"Is  it  good,  Fred?"  asked  the  scientist,  with  a  smile. 

"Good!  Are  vinegar  and  turpentine  generally  good 
when  mixed  together?" 

Mr.  Ellsworth  was  shaking  with  laughter. 

"You  must  have  a  sensitive  palate,  Fred,  for  your 
remarks  exactly  describes  the  flavor  of  the  wild  mango. 
One  has  to  cultivate  a  taste  for  them. 

Dinner  that  day  was  served  on  the  extremity  of  South- 
west Cape,  and  the  flying-foxes  were  roasted  to  a  turn 
and  they  proved  good  eating,  although  they  were  not 
reHshed  as  the  grouse  had  been;  the  thought  of  dining 
on  bats,  no  doubt,  was  somewhat  instrumental  in  con- 
demning these  mammals  as  a  staple  of  food.  At  any 
rate,  the  castaways  did  not  seem  to  be  very  anxious  for 
more. 

That  afternoon  the  progress  of  the  explorers  was  con- 
siderably impeded  by  the  mangrove  forests  which 
abounded  on  the  northwest  coast.  The  shore  was  low 
at  that  point  and  the  tangle  of  trunks,  branches  and  ad- 
ventitious roots,  which  extended  below  high  water  mark, 
rendered  traveling  difficult  and  uncomfortable.  The 
castaways  could  not  go  around  this  natural  barrier;  there- 
fore, they  went  over  the  top;  that  is,  they  crawled  over 
the  thickly  interlaced  branches,  much  to  the  annoyance 
of  the  water-fowl  that  were  breeding  extensively  among 
these  eccentric  trees.  Under  and  around  the  roots  my- 
riads of  crustaceans,  echinodermes  and  other  marine 
forms  were  noticed. 

Mr.  Ellsworth  called  Fred's  attention  to  the  peculiar 
way  in  which  the  seeds  germinate;  that  is,  they  send  down 
roots  before  falling,  so  that  they  often  become  firmly  es- 
tablished in  the  ooze  below  before  the  parent  tree  relin- 
quishes its  offspring. 


FREDERICK    YOUNQ.  121 

In  consequence  of  the  difficulties  encountered  night 
overtook  the  castaways  when  they  were  over  a  mile  from 
Coral  Bay,  so  they  made  camp. 

The  next  forenoon  Metropolitan  Hill  was  reached  and 
rounded.  At  the  foot  of  this  elevation  and  on  the  west 
shore  of  the  bay  Mr.  Ellsworth  made  a  valuable  discov- 
ery. It  consisted  of  four  bread-fruit  trees,  on  which 
there  was  an  abundance  of  the  globular,  tuberculous 
fruit. 

The  scientist  explained  that  these  productions  when 
baked  resemble  mashed  potatoes  mixed  with  milk,  and 
that  the  large  amount  of  starchy  matter  which  they  con- 
tain fnakes  them  exceedingly  nutritious,  and  that  they  are 
a  staple  of  food  throughout  Polynesia. 

Cocoanut  Grove  Cabin  was  reached  just  before  midday, 
after  an  absence  of  sixty  hours.  The  castaways  had  been 
completely  around  the  coast  of  the  islet,  and  now  they 
felt  positive  that  there  were  no  human  beings,  excepting 
themselves,  on  Empire  Island. 

Two  of  the  bread-fruit  productions  were  baked  in  hot 
ashes  for  dinner,  and  they  proved  to  be  an  acceptable 
acquisition  to  the  bill  of  fare.  The  whitish  contents  were 
scooped  out  and  a  little  salt  added,  which  made  a  very 
palatable  substitute  for  bread  and  potatoes. 

The  next  morning,  which  was  April  ist,  Fred  made 
known  to  his  companion  a  project  which  he  had  been 
thinking  of  for  a  day  or  two.  It  was  to  hew  out  several 
planks,  about  four  feet  long  and  one  foot  wide,  of  some 
light  wood ;  then  to  chalk  them  over  and  mark  on  them 
in  black  that  two  Americans  were  castaways  on  a  solitary 
and  uninhabited  island  in  the  South  Pacific,  approximate 
latitude  and  longitude  to  be  determined  and  added  to  the 
planks,  and  also  any  other  information  that  might  be 
deemed  expedient.  These  markings  were  to  be  pro- 
tected by  a  thick  coating  of  resin,  the  same  as  the  signs 
on  Mount  Ellsworth  had  been  previously  treated,  and 
vi^hen  the  planks  were  perfectly  dry  they  were  to  be  con- 


122  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

signed  to  the  sea  from  different  parts  of  the  coast  and  at 
intervals  of  a  few  days.  There  was  a  slight  possibility 
that  some  vessel  might  pick  one  of  these  boards  up,  and 
come  or  send  to  liberate  the  castaways  from  their  involun- 
tary detention  on  the  island. 

Mr.  Ellsworth  approved  of  this  scheme,  and  he  de- 
termined to  commence  that  very  afternoon  on  some  in- 
struments which  would  be  required  to  obtain  the  data 
necessary  to  compute  the  latitude  and  longitude  of  Empire 
Island.  His  gold  watch,  which  kept  very  accurate  time, 
would  serve  as  his  chronometer,  and  his  knowledge  of 
astronomy  would  now  be  of  great  assistance  in  solving 
this  important  problem. 

While  the  scientist  was  thus  engaged  Fred  was  no  less 
busy  in  selecting  some  suitable  tree  butts  from  which  his 
planks  were  to  be  laboriously  wrought. 

It  was  April  20th  before  Fred  had  gotten  out  thirty 
boards  and  allowed  them  to  dry  sufficiently  for  use, 

Mr.  Ellsworth  had  assisted  in  the  work  at  times,  but 
he  had  occupied  many  hours  in  trying  to  get  the  correct 
position  of  the  island.  All  he  had  to  do  with  were:  Mel- 
bourne time,  a  roughly  constructed  compass  of  his  own 
manufacture,  and  a  thorough  knowledge  of  astronomy 
and  mathematics.  He  needed  a  reliable  chronometer,  a 
perfect  quadrant  or  sextant  with  graduated  vernier,  and 
above  all  a  recent  Nautical  Almuitac. 

Mr.  Ellsworth  had  done  some  telescopic  work  while  in 
Australia,  and  in  consequence  thereof  he  was  quite  fa- 
miliar with  the  exact  positions  of  the  principal  stars,  and 
his  wonderfully  acute  memory  for  figures  now  served 
him  incalculably.  He  worked  steadily  and  patiently  at 
the  great  problem  of  latitude  and  longitude;  he  made 
several  measurements  of  the  meridian  altitude  of  the  sun; 
he  also  obtained  the  right  ascension  of  several  southern, 
first  magnitude  stars,  making  in  each  instance  proper 
corrections  for  atmospheric  refractions  and  parallax. 
The  scientist  worked  long  and  earnestly  in  figuring  out 


FREDERICK    YOUNG,  123 

these  observations,  and  during-  the  time  he  drew  on  his 
storehouse  of  knowledge  unsparingly,  using-  data  that  was 
absolutely  essential,  and  yet  there  would  have  been  no 
■way  of  obtaining  it  had  not  his  brain  furnished  the  ne- 
cessary rules  and  figures.  I  suppose  it  will  be  useless  to 
burden  the  reader  with  weary  details  concerning  the  meas- 
urements and  computations,  as  many  who  peruse  these 
lines  will  be  conversant  with  the  various  formulas  for 
obtaining  latitude  and  longitude,  and  it  is  a  subject  that 
is  easily  accessible  to  nearly  all.  So  let  it  suffice  us  to  say 
that  Mr.  Ellsworth's  observations  of  southern  celestial 
objects  unitedly  concurred  in  placing  Empire  Island 
sixty-one  degrees  north  of  the  south  pole.  On  the  other 
hand,  calculations  derived  from  measurements  of  north- 
em  celestial  bodies  invariably  indicated  that  the  observer 
was  twenty-nine  degrees  south  of  the  equator.  The  for- 
mer number  of  degrees  deducted  from  one-fourth  of  the 
terrestrial  circumference  gave  a  result  exactly  corre- 
sponding with  the  latter  number,  thus  corroborating  the 
northern  and  southern  computations  much  to  the  satis- 
faction of  the  scientist.  By  this  we  are  to  understand 
that  Empire  Island  was  supposed  to  be  in  about  29°  south 
latitude. 

It  was  very  easy  to  estimate  the  longitude,  as  they  had 
Melbourne  time,  providing  their  timepieces  had  not 
■varied,  and  it  was  very  evident  that  they  had  not  more 
than  a  few  seconds,  as  both  watches  had  kept  the  same 
time  with  remarkable  exactness.  So  Mr.  Ellsworth  found 
true  noon  at  Empire  Island,  and  the  difference  between 
Greenwich  and  Melbourne  time  being  known,  he  easily 
computed  the  difference  in  time  between  Melbourne  and 
Empire  Island;  and  as  a  difference  of  one  hour  of  time  is 
equal  to  fifteen  degrees  of  longitude,  and  so  on,  it  took 
but  a  few  minutes  to  ascertain  that  Empire  Island  was 
136°  west  from  Greenwich. 

"Now,"  said  the  scientist,  "we  have  some  idea  in  what 
part  of  the  Pacific  we  are.     Of  course  my  instruments 


124  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

and  methods  are  crude,  and  evidently  my  angles  were 
not  concisely  measured,  but  I  have  worked  with  great 
care  and  I  feel  confident  that  my  calculations  are  not 
many  degrees  out  of  the  way.  I  think,  Fred,  that  you 
may  safely  inscribe  on  the  planks  that  the  island  is  located 
in  about  29°  south  latitude  and  136°  west  longitude." 

"And  if  I  mistake  not,"  said  Fred,  "we  are  directly 
south  of  the  Low  Archipelago  and  probably  not  over  500 
miles  from  Pitcairn's  Island." 

"You  are  correct,  and  if  our  other  plans  for  bringing 
assistance  to  us  fail,  we  must  construct  some  sort  of  a  boat 
and  make  an  attempt  to  reach  Pitcairn's  Island.  Once 
there,  and  we  can  soon  find  means  of  taking  passage  to 
America,  as  vessels  frequently  take  refuge  in  Bounty 
Bay. 

April  25th  two  planks  were  liberated  from  Empire 
Island;  one  from  Cape  Garfield  and  the  other  from  Cape 
Hudson.  Each  succeeding  week  two  planks  were  thrown 
into  the  sea  until  the  whole  thirty  had  departed  on  their 
uncertain  journeys.  The  castaways  would  stand  on  the 
beach  and  watch  each  plank  until  the  ocean  currents  had 
taken  it  far  out  to  sea. 

Weeks  and  months  came  and  went  and  still  no  tidings 
from  the  outer  world;  mariners  seemed  to  completely 
ignore  Empire  Island. 

Meanwhile  the  unfortunates  continued  to  hunt,  fish, 
explore  and  talk.  It  was  an  easy  matter  to  gain  suste- 
nance on  the  islet,  for  game,  fish,  fruit,  nuts  and  vegetables 
were  to  be  obtained  in  unlimited  abundance.  Frequent 
visits  were  made  to  Sylvan  Lake  and  the  interior  of  the 
island,  and  something  new  and  interesting  was  found  on 
nearly  every  tour  they  made. 

One  day  they  followed  a  little  brook  that  emptied  into 
Palm  River,  to  its  source,  and  there  they  found  a  spring 
of  clear,  cold  water.  It  was  not  over  ten  minutes'  walk 
from  the  cabin,  and  ever  after  that  day  all  drinking  water 
was  obtained  at  the  spring. 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  125 

The  castaways  constructed  a  raft  which  they  used  on 
the  river  and  bay,  but  it  would  have  been  a  poor  thing 
to  put  to  sea  in,  or  on,  rather.  They  thought  and  talked 
much  about  constructing  a  boat  in  which  they  could  sail 
to  Pitcairn's  Island,  but  then  their  tools  were  limited  to  a 
hatchet,  a  marline  spike,  if  such  a  thing  can  be  properly 
included  with  tools,  and  two  pocket  knives.  They  had 
no  saws  to  get  out  or  cut  planking,  nor  nails  or  screws 
to  fasten  it  to  the  ribs  with,  and  a  very  substantial  boat 
would  be  required,  to  navigate  those  seas,  as  violent 
storms  are  of  frequent  occurrence  in  the  South  Pacific. 
These  difficulties  seemed  too  great  for  the  castaways  to 
successfully  overcome,  so  boat-building  was  indefinitely 
postponed. 

Mr.  Ellsworth  continued  to  amass  natural  history  speci- 
mens, and  Cocoanut  Grove  Cabin  soon  resembled  a  small 
museum.  Tliere  might  be  found  mammals,  reptiles, 
birds  of  brilliant  hues,  rocks,  minerals,  fossils,  botanical 
forms  of  many  species ;  and  the  products  of  the  seashore 
was  especially  well  represented  by  many  varieties  of 
sponges,  sea  fans,  corals,  radiates,  univalves,  bivalves  and 
other  forms  too  numerous  to  mention.  The  scientist's 
note-books,  with  the  exception  of  four  pages  which  had 
been  left  for  a  purpose,  had  long  ago  been  filled  with 
finely  written  items,  and  he  was  now  making  entries  on 
pieces  of  bark  carefully  prepared. 

"What  are  you  going  to  do  with  all  your  treasures?" 
Fred  asked  one  day. 

"We  will  leave  here  some  day,  Fred,  and  my  collection 
will  accompany  us;  and  when  I  get  home  I  shall  write 
a  book  on  the  fauna  and  flora  of  Empire  Island,"  the 
naturalist  returned. 

"I  am  glad  that  you  expect  to  leave  here  sometime. 
I  have  about  lost  all  hope  of  ever  seeing  home  and 
friends  again,"  said  Fred,  in  a  dejected  tone. 

When  the  morning  of  February  21,  1882,  arrived,  sixty- 
three  planks  had  been  sent  to  sea;    the  first  one  had 


126  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

been  liberated  about  ten  months  previous,  and  yet  there 
was  no  response  from  the  civilized  world;  no  ship  had 
come  to  the  assistance  of  these  unfortunate  men.  Yes, 
the  anniversary  of  their  arrival  had  come;  one  year  had 
been  spent  on  this  solitary  island  in  the  South  Pacific. 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  127 


CHAPTER  XV. 

OFF  FOR  THE  SOUTHERN  SEAS. 

We  will  now  turn  our  attention  to  New  York  City  and 
the  events  which  transpired  there. 

On  March  loth  Marion  received  a  letter  from  Fred 
dated  Melbourne,  Victoria,  February  2,  1881.  It  stated 
that  he  was  to  sail  the  next  morning  on  the  steamship 
Polynesia,  for  Callao,  Peru,  from  which  place  he  was  to 
sail  for  California,  and  from  there  he  would  journey  to 
New  York  by  rail.  He  said  he  would  rirrive  home  sooner 
by  taking  this  route  than  he  would  by  waiting  for  one  of 
the  ships  which  sail  directly  to  San  Francisco.  He  fur- 
ther stated  that  a  few  days  after  his  letter  was  received  he 
expected  to  arrive  at  home. 

After  receiving  this  letter  the  days  went  by  very  slowly 
to  Marion.  She  could  hardly  wait  for  her  lover's  ap- 
pearance, he  had  been  absent  so  long;  but  days  merged 
into  weeks  and  Fred  did  not  arrive.  Then  Marion  and 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Young  became  worried,  for  they  feared  that 
some  mishap  had  befallen  him. 

Finally  Mr.  Young  sent  the  following  telegraph: 

"New  York,  N.  Y.,  April  15,  1881. 
"Agent  Australian  Steamship  Co.,  Callao,  Peru,  S.  A. 

"Steamship  Polynesia  left  Melbourne  February  3d. 
When  did  she  arrive  at  Callao? 

"William  C.  Young." 

April  19th  an  answer  was  received,  which  read  as  fol- 
lows: 

"Callao,  Peru,  S.  A.,  April  18,  1881. 

"The  Polynesia  has  not  been  heard  from  since  leaving 
Melbourne  February  3.     We  fear  she  is  lost. 

"A.  P.  Stetson,  Agent." 


128  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

This  news  nearly  prostrated  Mrs.  Young  and  Marion, 
while  Mr.  Young,  although  feeling  as  badly  over  the 
reply  as  they,  bore  up  under  it  and  tried  to  console  the 
sorrowful  ones. 

He  said  there  were  many  chances  of  the  passengers 
being  saved  even  if  the  ship  was  lost.  They  must  have 
had  life-boats,  and  possibly  a  collision  had  taken  place 
and  the  survivors  might  have  been  taken  on  board  of  one 
of  the  ships.  Often  such  cases  occur  when  the  passen- 
sengers  are  carried  to  some  distant  port  and  are  not  heard 
from  for  months.  He  used  every  possible  argument  to 
mitigate  the  pain  caused  by  the  sad  news. 

In  reply  to  a  telegram  to  the  Australian  office,  Mr. 
Young  learned  that  Fred  had  left  on  the  Polynesia  Febru- 
ary 3d  as  he  had  written  he  would  do ;  and  also  that  the 
ship  was  reported  as  safely  passing  North  Cape,  New 
Zealand,  February  7th,  and  that  was  the  last  news  he 
could  get  of  her.  The  agent,  however,  further  stated  that 
inward  bound  ships  reported  a  violent  storm  on  February 
2 1st  and  22d,  which  raged  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Astral 
Islands  and  the  Low  Archipelago.  From  this  informa- 
tion Mr.  Young  concluded  that  the  Polynesia  had  been 
wrecked  at  sea  during  the  storm,  although  he  kept  his  con- 
victions to  himself. 

Marion  was  so  aflfected  by  this  culmination  of  these 
two  long  years  of  waiting  for  her  lover  to  return  that  she 
became  prostrated  and  an  intermittent  fever  set  in.  She 
was  unconscious  of  her  surroundings  for  several  weeks, 
and  she  raved  frightfully  during  that  time  and  almost 
constantly  moaned  for  Fred  to  come  to  her. 

Her  physician  was  doubtful  at  one  time  if  she  would 
ever  recover,  but  the  crisis  came  after  several  days  of 
painful  suspense,  the  fever  turned  for  the  better  and  her 
recovery  was  assured. 

By  June  loth  Marion  sat  up  a  little  while  each  day. 
She  did  not  talk  of  her  lost  lover,  but  the  sad,  far-away 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  129 

look  in  her  eyes  and  the  painful  expression  around  her 
mouth,  spoke  plainer  than  words. 

September  came ;  nothing  had  been  heard  from  Fred, 
and  Mr.  Young  despaired  of  ever  seeing  him  again.  The 
old  gentleman  had  grown  old  in  appearance  in  the  last 
few  months ;  the  loss  of  his  boy  was  a  terrible  blow.  He 
often  called  at  the  residence  of  the  Stillmans,  and  he  and 
Marion  sympathized  with  each  other. 

Monday  morning,  September  5th,  Mr.  Young  sat  in  his 
library  looking  over  the  New  York  daily  papers,  as  was 
his  wont.  He  took  up  one  of  the  leading  journals,  and 
his  eyes  suddenly  fell  on  an  article  set  off  by  prominent 
headlines.     It  read  as  follows : 

"News  from  The  Steamship  Polynesia. 

"A  despatch  dated  Valparaiso,  Chili,  September  3d, 
reads :  'Yesterday  the  three-masted  ship  Eldorado,  of  this 
port,  returned  from  an  extended  cruise  among  the  Pacific 
islands,  where  she  had  been  trading.  April  22d,  when  she 
was  near  the  Friendly  Islands,  she  picked  up  a  life-boat 
containing  five  seamen  and  a  number  of  women  and 
children.  They  were  all  in  a  pitiful  state,  having  been 
wandering  at  sea  for  about  two  months  in  their  small 
boat,  and  for  some  time  subsisting  on  short  rations. 
They  were  all  taken  aboard  the  ship  and  cared  for,  and 
yesterday  they  arrived  at  this  port. 

"  'One  of  the  sailors  when  interviewed,  said :  I  was  sec- 
ond mate  on  the  steamship  Polynesia,  which  sailed  from 
Melbourne  February  3d,  with  passengers  and  freight  for 
Callao.  We  had  a  good  run  up  to  the  17th  when  we 
encountered  fog;  we  must  have  been  some  300  miles  east 
of  the  Dangerous  Archipelago  at  that  time.  During  the 
afternoon  a  huge  shark  came  up  astern  and,  of  course, 
this  attracted  the  passengers  and  some  of  the  ship's  hands 
aft  to  see  the  monster.  While  we  were  watching  him  a 
terrific  explosion  occurred  in  the  forward  hold ;  the  fore 
part  of  the  ship  was  blown  to  splinters,  and  the  pilot  and 
J  do  not  know  how  many  more  men  were  killed.     Sev- 


130  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

eral  aft  were  prostrated  by  the  concussion,  but  they  soon 
came  to,  not  sustaining  any  serious  injuries.  We  in- 
stantly made  for  the  boats ;  there  were  only  two,  for  those 
forward  were  destroyed  by  the  explosion.  The  ship  be- 
gan to  sink  forward  and  the  woodwork  caught  fire.  The 
women,  children,  four  sailors  and  myself,  embarked  in 
the  first  boat;  the  captain,  first  mate,  and  the  men  pas- 
sengers were  lowering  the  second  boat  when  we  pushed 
off. 

"  'The  captain  told  me  to  keep  them  in  sight,  and  I 
intended  to  do  so,  but  the  fog  was  so  thick  and  we  struck 
a  strong  current  which  influenced  the  boat,  so  before  I 
realized  it  the  ship  was  hidden  from  view  in  the  mist  and 
we  could  not  find  her  again. 

"  'The  next  morning  the  fog  cleared  away  and  not  a 
sail  or  the  other  life-boat  could  be  seen.  We  raised  our 
sail,  which  together  with  the  necessary  mast  and  spars 
we  were  thoughtful  enough  to  put  in  our  boat,  and  laid 
our  course  a  little  north  of  west,  expecting  to  sight  some 
of  the  numerous  islands  which  lay  in  that  direction,  but 
we  evidently  missed  the  easterly  groups  by  laying  our 
course  too  far  north.  When  fully  satisfied  that  we  had 
missed  our  reckoning  we  changed  our  course  to  the 
southwest.  After  wandering  at  sea  under  the  fierce  rays 
of  an  equatorial  sun  for  two  months  we  were  picked  up 
by  the  Eldorado  and  nursed  b?.ck  to  health  and  strength 
by  the  kindly  disposed  captain  and  crew,  to  whom  we  feel 
greatly  indebted.  When  picked  up  we  were  in  an  emaci- 
ated condition  and  our  suffering  from  exposure  was  in- 
tense. We  thought  it  best  to  remain  on  ship  board  until 
fully  recovered,  so  we  did  not  land  at  any  port  until  the 
captain  had  gotten  a  full  cargo  and  returned  to  Valpa- 
raiso.* 

"In  reply  to  questions  concerning  the  probable  cause 
of  the  explosion  the  second  mate  said : 

"  'There  must  have  been  quite  a  quantity  of  some  pow- 
erful explosive  jn  the  forward  hold,  but  how  it  came  there 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  131 

and  how  it  was  exploded  is  beyond  my  comprehension. 
I  saw  all  the  manifests,  and  I  saw  the  freight  stowed  away, 
and  I  am  positive  that  the  captain  did  not  know  of  any 
explosive  agent  being  in  the  hold  of  the  Polynesia.  I  am 
inclined  to  think  that  some  person  with  evil  intent  caused 
the  wreck  of  our  ship,  but  for  what  purpose  I  am  at  a  loss 
to  understand.' 

"Concerning  the  other  boat,  the  second  mate  said: 

"  *I  should  have  thought  that  the  other  boat  might  have 
been  lowered  and  manned  before  the  ship  sank.  The 
boat  may  have  foundered  in  the  gale  that  raged  for  a  day 
or  two  after  February  20th.  We  had  a  hard  time  of  it 
and  came  very  near  being  swamped  several  times.  It 
was  miraculous  that  we  escaped  to  tell  the  story,' 

"It  is  understood  that  the  underwriters  will  make  every 
possible  effort  to  discover  the  cause  of  the  explosion 
which  wrecked  the  ship,  before  paying  the  company's 
claim." 

This  news  gave  Mr.  Young  a  faint  hope  that  Fred 
might  yet  be  heard  from,  but  it  was  a  very  faint  hope. 
The  old  gentleman  secretly  feared  that  the  Polynesia  had 
gone  down  before  his  son  and  the  rest  of  the  passengers 
and  crew  could  embark  in  the  second  boat. 

Mr,  Young  imparted  the  news  to  his  wife,  and  then  he 
immediately  sought  Marion  and  read  the  newspaper 
article  to  her. 

She  received  the  communication  calmly,  and  at  its 
conclusion  said: 

"Mr.  Young,  I  believe  that  Fred  still  lives ;  something 
seems  to  tell  me  that  he  does;  he  may  be  at  sea  this  very 
moment,  suffering  from  hunger  or  thirst,  or  possibly  he 
may  be  on  some  of  those  solitary  Pacific  islands,  where 
he  cannot  send  us  word." 

As  Marion  spoke  her  face  became  suffused  with  a  deli- 
cate color,  her  eyes  expressed  earnestness  and  conviction, 
and  Mr.  Young  was  much  impressed  by  her  words  and 
manner. 


132  FREDERICK  ^YOUNQ. 

"Let  us  trust  that  Fred  still  lives  and  that  he  will  be 
safely  returned  to  us.  If  he  is  dead,  he  was  a  good  boy, 
and  we  must  hope  and  pray  that  we  shall  meet  him  in  the 
great  beyond,"  Mr.  Young  reverently  said. 

Marion  was  sobbing. 

"Oh,  Mr.  Young!"  she  finally  said,  "cannot  we  do 
something  to  save  him?" 

Marion  was  now  on  her  knees  at  Mr.  Young's  feet,  she 
convulsively  holding  his  hand,  he  stroking  her  glossy 
hair. 

"Marion,  I  have  thought  much  of  that  lately,  and  I 
h^-e  the  means  to  carry  out  a  vigorous  search.  Money 
is  no  object;  I  do  not  spend  my  income,  and  down  at  the 
dock  lies  my  p^^astire  y?cht,  Altair,  a  fast  steam  craft 
capable  of  making  an  extended  ocean  voyage.  Why 
not  man  her,  sail  for  the  Pacific  and  search  every  island 
on  its  vast  surface  if  we  can  but  find  Fred?  I  can  hardly 
contain  myself  here  when  it  lies  in  my  power  to  go  to  his 
assistance.  Even  if  we  do  not  find  him,  we  may  learn 
his  fate,  and  then  we  shall  know  that  we  have  done  our 
duty,  that  is,  all  that  we  could  do  to  find  him."  Mr. 
Young  said  this  with  a  sad  enthusiasm  that  was  impres- 
sive to  behold. 

Marion  drank  in  every  word  he  said,  while  tears  of  joy 
ran  down  her  pale  cheeks. 

"Oh,  Mr.  Young!"  she  exclaimed,  "do  go,  and  let  me 
help  you;  let  me  accompany  and  assist  you  to  prose- 
cute the  search;  I  feel  confident  that  we  shall  find  your 
boy,"  and  she  looked  beautiful  as  her  face  flushed  with 
excitement  and  her  eyes  sparkled  with  expectancy. 

"If  I  go  I  shall  take  my  wife  with  me,  and  it  will  give  me 
much  pleasure  to  have  you  and  your  parents  accompany 
us.  Mr,  Clark  can  manage  the  business  while  we  are 
away.  I  do  not  take  the  interest  in  it  that  I  once  did,  and 
on  my  return  I  shall  sever  my  connection  with  the  com- 
pany, whether  Fred  is  found  or  not." 

"Thank  you  so  much,  Mr.  Young,  you  do  not  know 


FREDERICK    YOUNO.  133 

how  much  I  appreciate  your  kindness,'"  she  said,  and 
then  added;  "I  hope  Constance  will  go  with  us." 

"Certainly,  we  must  not  leave  Constance  at  home;  and 
then  it  has  gone  as  hard  with  her  as  with  any  of  us.  She 
and  Fred  always  thought  a  great  deal  of  each  other." 

"Wlien  will  you  start?"  asked  Marion,  anxiously. 

"As  soon  as  we  can  make  the  necessary  preparations 
and  get  the  Altair  ready  for  sea.  I  will  telephone  Captain 
Ashton  to  call  on  me  this  very  day,  and  after  talking  with 
him  I  can  tell  you  when  we  can  start.  We  have  not  been 
farther  than  Newport  and  Bar  Harbor  on  the  yacht  since 
we  went  to  Cuba  three  years  ago,  and,  of  course,  consid- 
erable will  have  to  be  done  on  her  before  she  will  be  ready 
for  a  cruise  that  may  occupy  years." 

"Mr.  Young,  before  you  go  I  must  again  thank  you 
for  your  kindness  in  inviting  us  to  accompany  you." 

"Marion,  I  cannot  do  too  much  for  the  noble  girl  that 
was  to  honor  my  son  with  her  heart  and  hand." 

Marion  came  quickly  forward  and  impulsively  grasped 
Mr.  Young's  hands,  and  he  noticed,  with  a  pang  of  deep 
sympathy  for  the  poor  girl,  that  her  eyes  were  full  of 
tears. 

"Mr.  Young,"  she  said,  "Fred  has  had  possession  of  my 
heart  for  many  years,  and  my  hand  was  all  that  I  could 
give  him." 

"Of  course,  Marion;  that  was  understood." 

"Oh,  why  did  he  go  away  and  leave  me  so  long?  Why 
could  not  someone  else  have  been  sent  to  Melbourne? 
If  we  had  but  known  how  matters  were  going  to  turn! 
I  would  have  gone  too,  and  we  would  have  died  together. 
But,  he  is  not  dead ;  it  cannot  possibly  be  that  he  has  left 
me  behind!  No,  that  mysterious,  impenetrable  inner 
consciousness  tells  me  that  it  cannot  be  so,  as  I  have  but 
just  intimated,  and  we  will  surely  find  Fred  and  bring 
him  home  with  us.  I  know  we  will!  It  cannot  be  other- 
wise!    I  shall  not  want  to  live  myself  if  he  is  not  restored 


134  FREDERICK   YOUNG. 

to  us !  I  suppose  I  am  foolish  to  run  on  in  this  way,  Mr. 
Young-,  but  I  cannot  help  it." 

"Not  at  all,  Marion,  I  feel  just  the  same  about  it  my- 
self." 

After  talking  the  proposed  trip  over  to  their  satisfaction 
Mr.  Young  sought  Mr,  and  Mrs.  Stillman  and  told  them 
the  plans,  at  the  same  time  requesting  them  to  accompany 
him  to  the  South  Pacific. 

They  at  once  consented  to  go  for  Marion's  sake,  and, 
then,  they  could  not  refuse  Mr.  Young's  kind  and  gener- 
ous invitation. 

Mr.  Young,  after  talking  with  Marion,  felt  confident 
that  Fred  still  lived. 

Captain  Ashton,  of  the  steam  yacht  Altair,  made  his 
appearance  at  Mr.  Young's  residence  shortly  after  the 
old  gentleman's  return  home,  in  response  to  a  telephonic 
message. 

"Captain,  please  be  seated,"  said  Mr.  Young. 

The  caller  comfortably  installed  himself  in  an  easy  chair 
in  the  spacious  library.  He  was  a  fine  looking  man  of 
about  forty-five  years  of  age,  of  ordinary  stature,  erect  in 
carriage  and  well  proportioned.  His  features  were  regu- 
lar; his  hair  and  full  beard  were  rather  dark  and  the 
former  inclined  to  curl,  while  the  latter  was  neatly 
trimmed;  his  expressive  eyes  were  of  a  clear  dark  blue 
color,  and  they  denoted  frankness  and  intelligence,  while 
the  dark,  drooping  lashes  by  which  they  were  over- 
shadowed, rendered  them  very  noticeable.  On  the 
whole,  Elwin  C.  Ashton  was  a  man  that  a  stranger  would 
not  hesitate  to  make  a  confidant  of  at  first  sight,  and  his 
appearance  did  not  belie  his  nature.  The  captain  was 
well  informed,  fond  of  the  sea  and  natural  history,  and  he 
had  an  especial  liking  for  the  gun  and  rod,  and  with  these 
he  was  an  adept.  He  had  commanded  the  Altair  since 
she  was  built,  which  was  four  years  previous  to  the  period 
under  consideration,  and  he  was  a  close  friend  of  the 
Youngs. 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  135 

**I  presume  you  have  heard  that  the  fate  of  the  Polynesia 
has  at  last  been  learned,"  said  Mr.  Young. 

"Yes,  I  read  the  despatch  in  the  morning  papers  regard- 
ing the  arrival  of  the  second  mate  at  Valparaiso,  and  as 
Fred  was  a  great  favorite  of  mine  you  can  imagine  with 
what  avidity  I  devoured  the  article." 

"I  know  you  thought  a  great  deal  of  Fred,  captain,  and 
I  think  you  will  readily  fall  in  with  my  plans ;  but  before 
disclosing  them  to  you,  may  I  ask  your  opinion  con- 
cerning the  fate  of  my  boy?" 

"I  think,  Mr.  Young,  that  Fred  has  either  been  picked 
up  by  some  outward  bound  ship,  or  else  he  and  the  other 
unfortunates  have  reached  some  of  the  Polynesian  islands, 
and  he  has  been  unable  to  communicate  with  you.  If 
the  former  theory  is  correct  it  seems  to  me  that  you  ought 
to  have  heard  from  him  before  now;  if  the  latter  it  may  be 
years  before  you  hear  from  him.  They  may  have  been 
taken  prisoners  by  the  natives  or  their  boat  may  have  been 
stolen  from  them.  I  might  enumerate  a  hundred-and-one 
reasons  for  Fred's  non-appearance,  but  it  is  useless  to  do 
so.  However,  we  cannot  help  speculating  over  these 
matters.  I  cannot  think  that  Fred  was  drowned;  I  feel 
confident  that  we  shall  see  him  again.  You  remember 
the  mate  thought  they  had  time  to  put  ofiF  in  their  boat, 
and  if  so,  and  the  first  boat  outrode  the  gale,  why  should 
not  the  second  have  been  as  fortunate?" 

"God  bless  you,  captain,  for  the  encouragement  you 
give  me!"  said  Mr.  Young,  grasping  Captain  Ashton's 
hand  warmly,  then  continuing,  he  said:  "You  feel  just  as 
Marion  and  myself  do  about  it;  we  feel  that  Fred  must 
be  alive,  and  we  have  decided  to  save  him  if  it  lies  in  our 
power.  Down  at  the  North  River  pier  lies  your  pride, 
the  Altair;  why  should  we  not  take  her  around  the  Horn 
and  search  the  Pacific  for  our  lost  boy?" 

"I  know  of  no  reason  why  you  should  not  do  so,  Mr. 
Young,  and  that  very  idea  has  been  in  my  mind  for  some 
time,  but  I  did  not  like  to  broach  the  subject  to  you. 


136  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

When  you  requested  me  to  call  to-day,  I  secretly  rejoiced, 
for  I  had  a  presentiment  that  my  desire  was  to  be  gratified ; 
that  at  last  we  were  to  go  to  the  rescue." 

"It  is  well,  captain.  Now,  to  come  to  the  point,  how 
soon  can  you  get  a  good  crew  and  fit  the  Altair  for  a  long 
voyage?  Remember,  we  may  be  away  for  years;  the 
Pacific,  you  know,  is  an  immense  body  of  water,  and  the 
islands  are  numerous  and  some  of  them  are  large.  Our 
search  must  be  thorough,  or  when  it  is  over,  if  unsuccess- 
ful, we  shall  feel  that  we  have  not  done  our  best." 

"I  think  I  can  get  the  yacht  ready  for  sea  by  October 
15th." 

"Very  well,  captain,  that  will  be  satisfactory.  Fit  her 
out  in  good  shape  regardless  of  the  expense.  We  will 
need  a  large  supply  of  provisions  and  all  the  coal  we  can 
possibly  carry,  so  as  to  make  as  long  a  run  as  possible 
without  replenishing  our  supplies." 

After  talking  the  matter  over  in  detail  Captain  Ashton 
left  Mr,  Young  and  commenced  immediate  preparations 
for  the  long  voyage. 

The  Young  and  Stillman  families  also  began  to  make 
the  necessary  purchases  in  clothing,  delicacies  and  nu- 
merous articles  which  were  deemed  essential  to  their 
welfare  and  comfort. 

During  the  next  month  workmen  were  busy  on  the 
Altair;  she  was  cleaned,  painted,  and  slight  alterations 
were  made  in  her  interior.  At  the  same  time  she  was  put 
into  the  dry-dock  and  her  exterior  was  put  into  first-class 
condition. 

October  loth  she  was  pronounced  ready  for  sea. 

Captain  Ashton  had  reason  to  congratulate  himself 
on  the  assistant  oflficers,  engineers  and  crew  that  he  had 
secured  for  th<^  cruise,  and  the  fine  trim  and  general  con- 
dition of  the  Altair.  In  fact,  all  the  men  he  had  engaged 
to  accompany  him  seemed  to  take  great  interest  in  the 
obiect  of  the  voyage. 

Mr.  Young  had  withheld  nothing  from  the  reporters 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  137 

concerning  the  proposed  search,  that  he  thought  would 
interest  the  general  public.  As  a  consequence,  appU- 
cants  were  so  numerous  for  positions  on  the  yacht  that 
Captain  Ashton  had  a  large  number  of  men  to  select  from, 
and  as  he  was  an  excellent  judge  of  human  character  he 
succeeded  in  picking  out  a  crew  that  he  was  well  pleased 
with. 

Everybody  concerned  in  the  undertaking  was  impatient 
to  sail,  and  when  the  morning  of  October  15th  dawned, 
clear  and  sunny,  all  were  prepared  to  leave  their  homes 
for  an  indefinite  period.  ITie  yacht  was  to  sail  at  9  a.  m., 
and  by  7  o'clock  the  pier  to  which  she  was  moored  was 
crowded  with  spectators  who  had  learned  the  motive  of 
the  voyage,  and  there  were  many  present  who  deeply 
sympathized  with  the  afflicted  ones.  It  was  a  heteroge- 
neous crowd,  but  each  individual  had  a  heart  that  was 
human  beating  within  his  or  her  bosom,  and  commisera- 
tion for  the  Youngs  and  Stillmans  was  felt  by  everyone. 

At  8  o'clock  the  white  steam  began  to  escape  from  the 
valves,  and  the  air  over  the  stack  was  so  unsteady  that  it 
was  evident  that  currents  of  hot  air  were  arising  from  the 
furnace.  The  Altair  was  vibrating  under  a  full  head  of 
steam ;  she  was  ready  to  put  to-  sea. 

At  8.30  o'clock  two  closed  carriages,  drawn  by  spirited 
horses,  dashed  upon  the  wharf,  where  they  were  suddenly 
stopped  by  liveried  drivers. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Young  and  Constance,  their  graceful, 
fair-haired  daughter,  alighted,  then  came  the  great,  intel- 
ligent, faithful,  St.  Bernard  dog,  Prince,  who  was  to  ac- 
company the  expedition  in  search  of  his  young  master. 
They  immediately  proceeded  on  board  the  yacht.  Their 
baggage  had  been  brought  down  the  previous  day. 

From  the  second  carriage  appeared  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Still- 
man  and  Marion.  When  they  walked  up  the  bridge  a 
murmur  went  up  from  the  crowd ;  the  spectators  instinct- 
ively knew  that  Marion  was  the  heroine  of  the  expedition; 


138  FREDERICK    YOUNG, 

that  she  was  going  to  the  far  off  Pacific  in  search  of  her 
lost  lover. 

As  the  city  clocks  with  synchronistic  exactness,  pealed 
forth  the  hour  of  nine,  Captain  Ashton,  in  regulation 
dress  walked  out  upon  the  bridge  of  the  Altair  and  g^ve 
the  order  to  clear  away.  At  the  same  time  the  stars  and 
stripes  were  run  up  to  the  yard-arm  of  the  foremast,  and 
to  the  peak  of  the  mizzen-mast,  while  the  union  jack  was 
unfurled  at  the  bow.  The  captain  touched  the  button 
which  was  electrically  connected  with  the  bell  in  the  en- 
gine-room; a  commotion  of  white,  boiling  foam  sprang 
up  under  the  stern;  with  a  slow  retrograde  motion  the 
yacht  slowly  moved  out  into  mid-stream;  the  bow  swung 
around  until  it  headed  for  the  Narrows.  The  engine- 
room  bell  again  sounded,  an  increased  vibration  was  felt 
by  those  on  board,  and  the  yacht  was  under  steam  for  the 
southern  seas. 

A  deafening  cheer  went  up  from  the  many  people  as- 
sembled on  the  pier,  accompanied  by  waving  of  hats  and 
handkerchiefs,  which  brought  forth  three  deep,  rich- 
toned  whistles  from  the  Altair  in  response  to  the  vocifer- 
ous farewell. 

The  busy  North  River,  with  its  ferry-boats  and  triple- 
decked  steamers  loaded  with  humanity,  vessels  of  various 
nations  going  hither  and  thither,  and  the  massive  Euro- 
pean liners  lying  at  the  Jersey  City  docks,  was  soon  left 
astern. 

Nearly  all  the  voyagers  stood  on  deck  and  watched 
their  native  city  fade  away  in  the  distance.  Before  the 
Battery  at  Castle  Garden  had  ^disappeared  from  view, 
the  Narrows  were  in  the  rear,  and  as  the  passengers  saw 
the  flags  flying  on  forts  Tomkins,  La  Fayette  and  Hamil- 
ton, they  thought  that  years  might  elapse  before  they 
would  again  see  the  red,  white  and  blue  bunting  floating 
over  the  fortifications  of  their  native  soil. 

When  the  Altair  again  entered  this  passage  would  she 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  139 

bear  Frederick  Young,  or  his  disappointed  friends  and 
relatives  only? 

At  10.30  o'clock  the  yacht  was  off  Sandy  Hook,  having 
steamed  twenty-six  miles  in  an  hour  and  one-half.  The 
next  land  they  would  sight  would  be  the  Bermuda 
Islands,  which  were  750  miles  away. 

The  Altair  was  a  fine  sea-going  ship.  Her  hull  was  of 
steel  and  modeled  for  fast  sailing;  she  had  powerful 
triple-expansion  engines,  which  operated  twin  screws. 
Her  hull  was  painted  black  with  a  gold  ribbon,  name 
and  figure-head;  her  deck  work  was  finished  up  in 
natural  wood,  with  burnished  metal  trimmings;  her 
masts  and  stacks  were  quite  rakish,  and  she  carried  a  full 
set  of  sails  which  had  not  been  used  since  Mr.  Young  had 
her  built.  Her  length  over  all  was  149  feet;  water  line, 
137  feet;  beam,  17  feet  and  3  inches,  and  draft,  10  feet 
2  inches.  Her  mean  speed  was  eighteen  miles  an 
hour.  The  interior  of  this  yacht  was  luxuriously  fur- 
nished, and  nothing  which  would  add  to  the  material 
comfort  of  the  passengers  was  lacking. 

The  Altair  sped  along  at  her  maximum  speed;  the 
faint  blue  streak  of  land  on  the  horizon  had  disappeared, 
and  now  all  that  could  be  seen  was  an  occasional  sailing 
craft  or  steamship,  gulls,  shearwaters,  terns  and  petrels 
circling  and  skimming  over  the  sea,  or  an  occasional 
shark  or  dolphin  disporting  on  the  surface. 

The  voyagers  sat  on  deck  in  groups  enjoying  the  view 
of  a  beautiful  cobalt  blue  sky,  and  a  sea  that  was  only 
ruffled  by  the  ordinary  ocean  swell  and  a  light  breeze  from 
the  southwest.  It  was,  indeed,  a  pleasure  to  sit  on  deck 
on  such  a  day  as  this  and  inhale  the  air  which  was  im- 
pregnated with  the  saline  odor  from  the  sea.  More 
pleasure,  however,  might  have  been  derived  from  this 
trip  if  those  on  board  had  not  been  depressed  by  dubious 
thoughts  which  they  could  not  drive  away.  The  object 
of  the  voyage  and  its  probable  termination  were  almost 
constantly  on  their  minds. 


140  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

Mr.  Young  had  instructed  Mr.  Clark  to  despatch  any 
news  of  importance,  concerning  Fred  or  the  ill-fated 
Polynesia,  tfiat  might  be  learned,  to  Valparaiso,  Papeete, 
or  Auckland,  as  the  yacht  would  put  in  at  those  ports. 
Of  course,  Mr.  Clark  would  forward  his  information  to 
the  point  where  it  would  be  received  by  Mr.  Young  the 
quickest. 

Just  after  i  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  October  17th, 
or  forty  hours  from  New  York,  the  Bermudas  were 
sighted  by  the  bow  watch.  The  passengers  did  not  catch 
a  glimpse  of  these  beautiful  semi-tropical  islands,  how- 
ever, for  before  morning  had  dawned  they  were  below 
the  horizon,  astern.  The  next  land  that  would  be  sighted. 
Captain  Ashton  informed  Mr.  Young,  would  be  'Cape 
St.  Roque,  Brazil,  S.  A.,  which  was  about  3,100  miles 
from  New  York. 

Every*  day  the  sun's  heat  became  more  intense  as  the 
yacht  neared  the  equator.  This  heat,  however,  was  tem- 
pered, in  a  degree,  by  the  boat's  speed,  which  caused  a 
continual  rush  of  air  across  the  deck. 

The  monotony  of  the  voyage  was  occasionally  broken 
by  a  large  school  of  dolphins  accompanying  the  vessel  for 
an  hour  or  more.  They  would  be  ahead,  astern,  and  on 
either  side  of  the  yacht,  easily  holding  their  own  with 
her,  and  at  the  same  time  going  through  many  playful 
maneuvers.  They  would  jump  bodily  out  of  the  water, 
and  the  impetus  gained  would  be  sufficient  to  carry  them 
several  feet  before  again  splashing  into  their  native  ele- 
ment. Next  they  would  make  a  subaqueous  plunge  un- 
der the  ship,  and  their  bodies  could  be  followed  by  the 
eye  until  they  disappeared  under  the  hull.  Their  antics 
proved  a  constant  source  of  amusement  to  the  passengers, 
but  after  awhile  the  graceful  mammals  would  become 
fatigued  by  following  the  fleet  yacht,  and  they  would  be 
seen  no  more.  Another  school,  however,  was  liable 
to  be  encountered  at  any  moment. 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  141 

These  dolphins  afforded  Marion  and  Constance  much 
pleasure,  as  the  exhibition  was  a  novelty  to  them. 

"Captain,"  said  Marion,  "you  are  familiar  with  ani- 
mated nature.     Can  you  tell  us  about  these  fishes?" 

"Perhaps  I  may  be  able  to  tell  you  a  little  about  them/* 
said  the  captain,  smiling.  "They  belong  to  the  whale 
family,  or,  more  properly  speaking,  they  are  a  species  of  the 
Cctacea,  and  are  known  to  naturalists  as  Ddphinus  delphis. 
Formerly  they  were  thought  to  be  true  fishes,  and  Roman 
Catholics  partook  of  their  flesh  on  those  days  when  the 
priests  forbid  the  members  of  the  church  to  eat  meat. 
It  seems,  however,  that  these  people  unknowingly  trans- 
gressed their  religious  laws,  for  the  dolphin  belongs  to 
the  mammal  family,  and  the  Romanists  were  eating  meat 
instead  of  fish.  These  mammals  attain  a  length  of  seven 
or  eight  feet,  and  the  dorsal  fin,  which  you  probably 
noticed,  is  nine  or  ten  inches  long.  You  also  observed 
that  their  color  appears  to  be  dark  olive-green  above,  but 
they  are  described  by  naturalists  as  being  black  above, 
lighter  on  the  flanks,  and  white  beneath.  The  blow-hole 
on  top  of  the  head  is  crescent-shaped,. and  the  pointed 
jaws  are  set  with  from  i6o  to  200  slightly  curved  teeth. 
These  mammals  are  very  agile,  and  instances  are  on 
record  where  they  have  leaped  from  the  water  to  the  deck 
of  a  vessel.  Sailors  regard  their  appearance  as  a  good 
omen,  although  they  are  often  the  harbingers  of  storms, 
according  to  the  mariner." 

"And  must  we  have  a  storm  because  these  fishes  ap- 
peared ?"   asked  Constance,  anxiously. 

"Constance,  you  do  not  profit  by  what  our  good  cap- 
tain has  just  told  us.  These  are  not  fishes,"  interposed 
Marion,  with  assumed  sternness. 

"Excuse  me,  captain,  I  will  substitute  mammals  for 
fishes,"  added  Constance. 

"You  need  not  fear  a  storm  on  the  dolphins'  account. 
Miss  Constance,  for  my  experience  has  taught  me  to  re- 
gard the  saying  as  a  sailor's  fallacy,"  said  Captain  Ashton. 


142  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

"What  do  the  dolphins  subsist  on?"  asked  Marion. 

"Fishes,  squids  and  crustaceans.  On  the  English 
coast  they  feed  on  mackerel  and  pilchard,  and  they  are 
often  caught  in  the  nets  of  the  fishermen." 

At  8  A.  M.,  on  the  morning  of  October  22d,  land  was 
sighted  far  to  the  westward;  and  when  it  was  examined 
through  a  powerful  glass  it  appeared  to  be  covered  with  a 
luxuriant,  tropical  vegetation. 

Captain  Ashton  said  it  was  Cape  St.  Roque,  the  most 
eastern  point  of  the  South  American  Continent. 

"Then  we  must  have  crossed  the  equator  yesterday," 
said  Marion,  "and  I  wanted  to  see  the  fresh  water  stream 
which  pours  from  the  mouth  of  the  Amazon." 

"You  could  not  have  seen  it.  Miss  Stillman,  for  we 
were  over  forty  miles  from  the  coast,  and  you  know  that 
is  the  extreme  distance  that  the  current  of  the  great  river 
makes  into  the  ocean.  If  you  had  spoken  of  it  yesterday 
your  wish  would  have  been  gratified,  for  I  could  have 
gone  nearer  the  coast,"  said  the  captain. 

"How  does  it  look?"   asked  Constance. 

"The  current  is  hardly  perceptible ;  the  outpour  has  a 
little  greener  cast  than  the  surrounding  salt  water.  If 
one  tastes  of  it  the  freshness  is  noticeable,  even  when  one 
is  forty  miles  from  the  mouth," 

The  sun  was  now  intensely  hot  and  the  ladies  and  gen- 
tlemen sat  under  the  awnings  and  talked  and  read  of  the 
places  they  were  to  visit.  When  they  left  New  York 
their  faces  were  pale,  but  now  they  were  of  a  nut-brown 
hue ;  the  equatorial  winds  having  spread  a  coat  of  tan  on 
each  and  every  one. 

Marion  had  recuperated  wonderfully  during  the  few 
days  out,  much  to  her  parents'  satisfaction. 

Mr.  Young  had  also  improved  much,  and  he  was  in 
better  spirits  than  he  had  been  for  some  time. 

Prince  majestically  walked  up  and  down  the  deck,  and 
occasionally  he  would  put  his  forefeet  up  on  the  bulwarks 
and  gaze  long  and  earnestly  off  to  sea.      This  noble 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  143 

animal  had  made  fast  friends  with  all  on  board,  but 
Marion  seemed  to  be  his  especial  favorite. 

Meanwhile  the  days  slipped  by  one  after  the  other,  the 
yacht  regularly  logging  off  420  to  450  miles  each  twenty- 
four  hours. 


144  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

IN  THE  PACIFIC. 

October  29th,  at  10.20  in  the  morning,  the  bow  watch 
sighted  the  Falkland  Islands  after  an  unimpeded  run 
from  Cape  St.  Roque. 

Captain  Ashton  announced  that  they  were  now  over 
6,000  miles  from  home,  and  he  deemed  it  advisable  to  put 
in  at  Port  Stanley,  the  only  town  of  any  importance  in 
this  group,  to  replace  what  coal  they  had  consumed  dur- 
ing the  voyage  and  to  allow  the  machinery  a  rest. 

"Do  the  engines  require  rest  after  an  exertion?"  in- 
quired Mr.  Young,  with  a  smile. 

"Our  engines  have  necessarily  become  heated  during 
the  strain  and  continual  action  of  the  past  fortnight,  and 
it  will  be  better  for  them  to  cool  ofif  and  to  have  a  thor- 
ough cleaning  and  oiling  before  proceeding  on  our 
voyage.  We  need  not  be  delayed  over  twenty-four 
hours,"  answered  the  captain. 

"Always  do  what  you  think  is  for  the  good  of  the 
Altair,"  returned  Mr.  Young. 

The  yacht  was  soon  approaching  East  Falkland 
Island,  and  the  proximity  of  land  was  made  evident  by 
acres  of  floating  kelp-weed,  the  discoloration  of  the  sea 
and  the  nauseating  fishy  odor  which  prevailed.  Ducks 
albatrosses,  murres,  and  many  other  aquatic  birds  were 
swarming  around  these  shores  in  countless  numbers, 
while  thousands  of  penguins  occupied  the  beach  and  the 
rocky  declivities,  forming  regular  military  columns.  Nu- 
merous seals  and  sea-elephants  disported  in  the  surf  near 
shore. 

Falkland  Sound,  which  lies  between  the  East  and  the 
West  islands,  Captain  Ashton  avoided;   passing  to  the 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  145 

eastward  of  the  main  islets,  he  soon  guided  the  yacht 
into  Port  Stanley  Harbor,  where  she  came  to  anchor 
just  after  noon. 

East  Falkland,  the  largest  of  the  200  islands  contained 
in  the  group,  has  an  area  of  3,000  square  miles,  w'hile 
West  Falkland  has  about  1,000  square  miles  less.  Some 
parts  of  the  coast  were  really  grand,  the  land  reaching  an 
altitude  of  2,000  feet,  but  the  prevailing  dark  brownish 
color  of  the  landscape  gave  the  country  a  sort  of  solemn 
aspect.  Then,  at  this  time  the  sky  was  overcast  with 
leaden-hued  clouds,  which  added  to  the  gloom. 

It  has  been  said  that  rain  falls  on  an  average  250  days 
in  the  year  on  these  cold,  wet,  and  inhospitable  shores. 
It  either  descends  in  a  fine  drizzle  or  in  showers,  so  the 
total  rainfall  is  not  so  large  as  might  be  expected. 

Trees  are  conspicuous  by  their  absence;  dwarf  shrub- 
bery, and  the  woolly  ragweed,  which  attains  a  height  of 
four  feet,  are  the  largest  representatives  of  vegetation 
found  on  the  group. 

The  captain  made  immediate  preparations  to  take  in 
coal. 

After  dinner  had  been  served  the  steam  launch  was 
lowered,  and  all  the  Youngs,  Stillmans  and  Mrs.  Ashton 
went  ashore  to  see  the  sights,  and  to  promenade  again 
on  terra  Urma. 

Marion  and  Constance  had  been  studying  the  botany 
of  southern  latitudes,  and  they  were  now  anxious  to  see 
the  "boulder  plant"  or  "balsam  bog"  of  which  they  had 
read.  It  is  known  to  science  by  the  appellation,  Bolax 
gleharia. 

None  of  the  girls'  companions  had  heard  of  this  curious 
plant,  but  Mr.  Stillman  accosted  a  native  regarding  it, 
who  graciously  consented  to  guide  the  party  to  a  spot 
where  the  vegetable  rocks  could  be  seen  in  abundance. 

The  party  started  ofT  through  the  town,  which  had 
about  700  inhabitants.  The  houses  were  low,  square 
and  whitewashed,  while  the  roofs  were  neatly  covered 


146  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

with  gray  slate.  Many  sheep  were  seen  and  some  swine 
and  cattle. 

The  pastures  produce  more  moss  than  grass,  which  is 
due  to  the  extreme  humidity  of  the  climate.  Along  the 
hills  were  veins  of  white  quartzite,  which  had  been  washed 
bare,  and  also  here  and  there  ledges  of  limestone.  The 
soil  was  loose  and  black,  and  tufts  of  grass,  daisies,  honey- 
suckles, geraniums,  dwarf  cranberries,  white  and  yellow 
heath  flowers,  and  liverwort  grew  sparingly  by  the  path- 
ways. 

After  walking  a  half  mile  outside  of  the  village,  the 
guide  pointed  out  a  peat-bog,  which  was  apparently  cov- 
ered with  large  boulders  on  which  lichens  and  grasses 
grew.  Where  the  surface  was  exposed  it  appeared 
weather-beaten. 

Marion  at  once  pronounced  these  to  be  balsam  plants, 
but  her  father  and  Mr.  Young  concluded  that  they  were 
composed  of  mineral  substances. 

Marion  persisted  in  her  conclusion,  and  she  finally  tri- 
umphed, for  upon  close  examination  these  weather- 
beaten,  moss-covered  boulders  were  found  to  be  of  vege- 
table origin.  These  plants  originally  started  from  seeds. 
The  outer  surface  was  found  to  be  covered  with  hexa- 
gonal markings,  like  the  calices  of  coral  which  has  been 
long  exposed.  These,  Marion  explained,  were  the  cir- 
clets of  leaves  and  leaf-buds  terminating  a  multitude  of 
stems  which  have,  perhaps,  been  slowly  branching 
dichotomously  for  an  unknown  period ;  possibly  for  cen- 
turies. A  slight  aromatic  odor  could  be  perceived  which 
came  from  these  plants,  and  there  were  exudations  of  a 
yellow  astringent  gum  on  their  surfaces. 

Marion  expressed  a  desire  for  a  piece  of  one  of  these 
strange  growths  to  preserve  as  a  souvenir  of  the  visit,  but 
their  frail  pocket  knives  made  no  impression  on  the 
plants. 

The  guide  solved  the  problem  by  producing  a  hatchet, 
and  after  much  vigorous  chopping  he  managed  to  detach 


FREDERICK    YOU  NO.  147 

some  large  chips,  which  supplied  the  wants  of  the  tourists. 

They  all  returned  to  the  Altair  at  night,  well  pleased 
with  the  novelty  of  everything  they  had  seen  about  Port 
Stanley,  but  they  had  no  desire  to  remain  long  on  the 
damp  and  chilly  shores. 

The  next  day  at  noon  the  yacht  left  the  harbor,  and 
after  clearing  the  islands,  her  bow  was  headed  for  the 
Magellan  Strait. 

Spring  in  this  latitude  was  now  well  advanced,  and 
Captain  Ashton  had  determined  to  save  time  and  avoid 
the  danger  of  the  outside  passage  by  passing  through  the 
Magellan  Strait  and  Smyth's  Channel  instead  of  doubling 
Cape  Horn.  He  had  excellent  charts,  but  it  would  be 
impossible  to  make  any  headway  at  night  on  account  of 
the  absence  of  light-houses  and  the  sinuous  course  of  the 
channel;  he  had  no  doubt,  however,  but  that  they  could 
make  the  passage  safely  under  easy  steam. 

About  an  hour  after  daylight  the  next  morning  the 
Altair  passed  between  Cape  Virgins  and  Cape  Espurita 
Santo  and  entered  the  strait. 

The  Magellan  Strait  is  317  miles  long  and  from  two  to 
seventeen  miles  wide.  Smyth's  Channel  is  338  miles  long 
and  from  one-fifth  to  five  miles  wide,  so  it  will  be  seen 
that  the  yacht  would  have  to  pick  her  way  through  655 
miles  of  a  dangerous  passage.  They  might  have  avoided 
Smyth's  Channel,  but  as  they  were  going  to  Valparaiso 
first,  it  was  nearer  through  the  passage,  and  they  would 
escape  the  heavy  ocean  swell  which  was  sure  to  be  en- 
countered on  the  outside  course,  so  they  wisely  chose 
the  inside  passage. 

As  the  yacht  progressed  the  scenery  kept  growing 
more  wild  and  picturesque;  the  brown  lichen-covered 
rocks  lined  either  shore,  and  these  were  backed  by  dark- 
green  forests  of  the  evergreen  beech,  among  which  the 
winter  bark  and  a  tree  laurel  were  intermixed.  In  the 
still  more  distant  background  lofty  snow-capped  moun- 


148  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

tains  reared  their  frigid  peaks  into  the  leaden-hued 
clouds. 

When  Elizabeth  Island  was  reached,  which  is  twenty 
miles  from  Punta  Arenas,  Mount  Sarmiento  was  seen  in 
the  distance. 

Mr.  Stillman  said  regarding  that  notable  mountain: 

"That  peak  is  ninety-six  miles  away,  and  it  is  the  high- 
est elevation  on  Terra  del  Fuego.  It  is  7,330  feet  high, 
and  its  summit  is  covered  with  perpetual  snow  and  ice. 
Mount  Darwin,  which  lies  in  the  same  direction,  is  nearly 
as  high,  and  many  other  mountains  and  glaciers  in  that 
vicinity  reach  an  altitude  of  4,000  feet." 

During  the  day  all  the  voyagers  were  busy  noting  the 
points  of  interest  along  the  route,  which  seemed  to  pass 
their  range  of  sight  panoramically.  It  was  extremely 
interesting  for  them  to  watch  the  constantly  increasing 
boldness  of  the  rocky  shores;  the  mild-eyed  seals  gazing 
at  the  yacht  in  unfeigned  wonder,  and  the  thousands  of 
stately  penguins  which  lined  the  rocky  clefts  in  rows, 
each  as  erect  as  the  best  disciplined  soldier.  Gulls,  ducks 
and  geese  existed  in  profusion,  while  occasional  alba- 
trosses went  by  the  yacht  on  silent  wings.  The  camera 
was  in  great  demand,  and  many  instantaneous  views  were 
obtained. 

Captain  Ashton's  charts  fairly  bristled  with  ominous 
warnings  concerning  the  dangers  of  this  strait,  and  he 
felt  well  pleased  when  just  before  nightfall  anchor  was 
dropped  ofif  Punta  Arenas,  which  is  about  one  hundred 
miles  from  the  Atlantic  coast. 

On  the  morning  of  November  3d  the  Altair  emerged 
from  the  Magellan  Strait  and  entered  Smyth's  Channel. 
At  this  point  that  peculiar  and  dangerous  headland  called 
Cape  Pillar  was  seen.  The  gloomy  and  jagged  rocks 
rose  high  in  the  air,  and  they  leaned  toward  the  water 
in  such  a  manner  that  they  reminded  one  of  the  serrated 
edge  of  a  huge  splitting  saw.  The  waves  from  the  Pacific 
dashed  against  this  cape  with  tremendous  violence,  and 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  149 

the  white  foam  produced  thereby  could  be  seen  for  miles 
away.  Myriads  of  sea-fowl  hovered  around,  apparently 
delighted  at  the  wildness  of  their  surroundings. 

The  views  as  the  yacht  passed  up  the  channel  were 
grand,  imposing,  and  picturesque  beyond  description. 
Snow-capped  elevations  rising  to  altitudes  varying  from 
3,000  to  6,000  feet  were  common,  and  often  glimpses  of 
the  towering  Cordilleras  in  the  distance  were  obtained. 

November  4th  Mr.  Young  requested  the  captain  to 
anchor  in  a  small  bay  which  was  unusually  grand  and 
beautiful  in  its  surroundings.  The  ladies  were  desirous 
of  visiting  the  shore,  and  the  gentlemen  were  not  reluctant 
to  accompany  them.  It  was  just  after  midday,  so  the 
afternoon  was  at  their  disposal. 

The  launch  was  lowered  and  the  ladies  and  gentlemen 
embarked.  Tlie  former  carried  cans  for  botanical  speci- 
mens, while  the  latter  carried  a  double  breech-loading 
shot-gun  and  a  belt  full  of  charged  shells,  or  a  Winchester 
repeating-rifle  with  the  magazine  charged,,  as  suited  his 
taste.  The  captain  was  a  remarkably  fine  rifle  marks- 
man, so  he  naturally  chose  that  weapon. 

The  water  at  this  point  was  so  still  and  clear  that  the 
black  and  white  conglomerate  rocks  could  be  seen  twenty 
feet  below  the  surface.  As  the  launch  neared  shore  sea- 
weeds of  gigantic  proportions  were  noticed  gently  sway- 
ing in  the  crystal-like  depths,  while  a  species  with  crimped 
leaves  of  an  amber  hue  floated  on  the  surface. 

The  shore  was  very  rocky;  granite,  porphyry,  lava,  and 
basalt  existing  in  huge  masses,  and  it  was  piled  and  tum- 
bled together  in  confusion.  That  part  of  the  rocky 
shore  which  came  in  contact  with  the  water  at  half-tide 
was  coated  with  mussels,  which  are  eaten  by  the  Indians. 
Back  of  the  rocks  a  dense  forest  grew,  which  was  draped 
with  many  varieties  of  vines  and  lichens.  The  ground, 
on  account  of  the  excessive  moisture,  was  also  carpeted 
with  many  beautiful  species  of  moss  into  which  one's  feet 
would  sink  several  inches.     Here  the  fibrous  ice  moss, 


150  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

the  green  coral  moss  and  many  other  remarkable  forms 
grew  in  unlimited  exuberance.  It  has  been  said  that 
twenty  kinds  of  moss  can  be  collected  from  a  single  square 
yard  of  shore  along  this  channel. 

Along  shore  among  the  rocks  were  many  seals  and  pen- 
guins, and  an  occasional  sea-otter  would  expose  his 
rounded  head  to  view. 

The  ladies  were  delighted  with  some  of  the  strange 
plant  forms,  which  they  plucked  and  made  into  attractive 
bouquets.  The  rose-colored  azalea,  a  delicate  carmine 
bell  flower,  and  the  prickly  holly  and  glossy  myrtle  leaves 
when  combined  artistically,  formed  beautiful  contrasts. 

The  great  five-leafed  tree-fern,  with  its  glossy  black 
stem,  which  the  early  navigators  wrongly  called  palm 
tree,  was  a  great  addition  to  the  landscape.  Besides  this 
fern,  were  the  jume  and  calafate  bushes,  the  former  yield- 
ing forty-one  per  centum  of  soda,  the  latter  a  bluish  pur- 
ple berry  which  is  quite  pleasant  to  the  taste,  and  is  known 
as  Magellan's  grape.  Evergreen  beeches,  alerces,  cipres 
and  auaucarias  grew  in  great  abundance,  while  underfoot 
ozorellas,  adesimas,  chuquiragas  and  other  perennial 
herbs,  unknown  to  the  voyagers,  were  seen  in  tangled 
profusion. 

Captain  Ashton  and  Mr.  Stillman  entered  the  forest 
in  quest  of  game,  while  Mr.  Young  remained  with  the 
ladies,  as  they  needed  a  protector  in  this  wild  region. 
The  hunters  had  proceeded  but  a  few  rods  into  the  mazy 
forest  when  a  peccary  was  started  from  his  cover;  at  first 
he  could  not  be  seen  on  account  of  intervening  masses 
of  pendulous  moss  and  bushes,  but  a  moment  later  he  was 
observed  crossing  a  glade  with  his  head  to  the  ground 
and  the  bristles  on  his  back  erect.  He  was  rushing 
away  at  a  remarkable  rate  of  speed. 

Captain  Ashton  was  ready,  with  his  right  foot  placed 
firmly,  and  his  rifle  held  in  readiness.  Simultaneous 
with  the  animal's  appearance  the  rifle  butt  came  to  the 
captain's  shoulder;  his  trained  muscles  had  brought  his 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  151 

sights  to  bear  on  his  prey  without  an  effort;  a  flash  and 
a  detonation  immediately  followed,  and  the  peccary  was 
lying  motionless  among  the  lichens.  An  unerring  snap 
shot  had  been  his  doom. 

The  hunters  went  forward;  the  captain  ejecting  the  old 
shell  and  inserting  another  cartridge  with  the  lever  move- 
ment as  he  approached  his  game.  It  was  well  that  he 
did,  for  when  the  two  men  were  ten  feet  from  the  dead 
animal,  a  puma,  sleek  and  beautiful,  dropped  from  an 
overhanging  bough,  and  before  the  thoroughly  surprised 
sportsmen  could  collect  themselves,  the  feline  beast  was 
dragging  their  peccary  toward  a  neighboring  thicket 
with  thievish  intent. 

When  Captain  Ashton  saw  his  intended  roast  disap- 
pearing, his  rifle  again  came  to  the  rescue  with  remarkable 
promptitude.  A  second  report  reverberated  through  the 
primeval  forest,  and  the  puma  with  a  terrible  shriek 
dropped  the  peccary  and  rolled  over  on  his  back  with  a 
conical  bullet  in  his  shoulder.  He  was  not  dead,  how- 
ever, for  the  next  instant,  with  eyes  flashing  apparent 
fire,  and  with  a  mad  snarl,  he  dashed  at  his  foes.  They 
nimbly  jumped  aside,  and  the  infuriated  beast  passed  be- ' 
tween  them  in  his  furious  bound,  landing  among  a  tangle 
of  bushes  and  vines.  He  tried  to  extricate  himself  and 
make  another  spring,  but  before  he  could  do  so  a  second 
ball  from  the  Winchester  rifle  struck  him  between  the 
eyes  and  entered  his  brain.  The  poor  beast  was  instantly 
killed. 

"Well,  captain,  you  are  having  all  the  sport  this  after- 
'  noon,"  said  Mr.  Stillman,  stroking  the  glossy  hair  of  the 
beautifully-colored  puma. 

"You  ought  to  have  chosen  a  rifle,  my  friend,  this  seems 
to  be  a  hunters'  paradise,"  returned  the  captain,  as  he 
began  to  remove  the  skin  of  the  carnivore. 

When  he  was  done,  the  skin  and  the  peccary  were  taken 
back  to  the  launch,  when  the  hunters  again  sallied  forth 
in  quest  of  more  sport.     They  walked  nearly  one-fourth 


152  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

of  a  mile  before  any  thing  worth  shooting  was  met  with, 
then  a  flock  of  green  parrakeets,  with  very  long  tails,  was 
discovered  in  the  tree  tops,  and  Mr.  Stillman  slipped  in 
two  shells  loaded  with  number  ten  shot  and  dropped  a 
pair  of  the  emerald-hued  birds  for  the  benefit  of  his  com- 
panion, who  was  an  enthusiastic  ornithologist. 

"Is  it  possible,"  said  Mr.  Stillman  as  he  examined  the 
scansores,  "that  the  parrot  family  is  represented  in  this 
cold  country?" 

"Yes,  indeed,  these  parrakeets  have  been  recorded  time 
and  again  as  occurring  on  the  north  shore  of  the  Magel- 
lan Strait,  and  what  is  more  surprising  humming-birds 
are  often  seen  in  this  latitude  swiftly  darting  around  amid 
falling  snow." 

"That  seems  strange,  for  we  associate  those  resplendent 
little  bodies  with  fragrant  blossoms  and  sunny  skies." 

At  this  point  in  the  conversation,  a  sound  resembling 
the  neigh  of  a  horse,  and  yet  much  different,  was  heard. 
It  seemed  to  come  from  the  right,  and  Mr.  Stillman  held 
up  his  hand  signifying  silence.  In  a  moment  it  was 
repeated;  the  sound  surely  came  from  the  right  of  the 
hunters,  and  the  animal  that  made  it  could  not  be  over 
ten  rods  away. 

"Deer!"  whispered  the  captain.  "Let  us  go  forward 
carefully." 

The  two  men  crept  forward  as  swiftly  as  possibly,  and 
the  carpet  of  moss  facilitated  stealthy  progress.  In  a  few 
minutes  an  opening  was  discernible  through  the  trees 
ahead  of  them.  They  approached  it  very  carefully,  and 
when  they  peered  cautiously  through  the  thick  under- 
growth, a  sight  met  their  gaze  that  was  beautiful  to 
behold. 

The  opening  proved  to  be  a  rocky  glen  through  which 
a  small  brook  coursed  its  way  to  the  channel.  At  this 
particular  spot,  a  pool  of  crystal-like  water  had  collected 
in  a  depression,  and  the  moss-draped  trees  across  the 
valley  were  clearly  reflected  by  the  water's  surface.    This 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  153 

pool  was  not  over  forty  feet  in  diameter  and  on  the  farther 
shore  a  group  of  graceful  deer  was  drinking,  standing  up 
to  their  knees  in  water.  They  were  of  a  rich  fawn  color 
above;  white  beneath,  and  their  limbs  were  slender  and 
indicated  great  speed. 

"Guanacos!"    said  the  captain,  softly, 

Mr.  Stillman  nodded  assent,  as  he  slipped  two  shells 
heavily  loaded  with  buckshot  into  his  breech-loader. 

"You  take  the  one  this  way,  Mr.  Stillman,  and  I  will 
aim  at  the  buck  on  the  extreme  left." 

"Ready?"  said  the  captain. 

"Ready,"  responded  his  friend. 

"One,  two,  fire!"  and  as  the  captain  said  fire,  two 
triggers  were  pressed  and  the  reports  sounded  as  one. 

The  pool  was  no  longer  clear;  its  surface  had  been 
ruffled  by  the  commotion,  and  two  deer  were  lying  on  the 
opposite  shore,  one  dying,  the  other  dead,  and  their  blood 
was  fast  discoloring  the  water,  which  but  a  few  seconds 
before  was  being  admired  for  its  crystal-like  clearness. 
The  rest  of  the  deer  had  dashed  off  through  the  forest, 
and  they  were  out  of  sight  and  hearing  in  a  few  seconds 
after  their  companions  fell. 

The  hunters  were  elated  at  their  success ;  they  had  pro- 
cured venison  enough  to  last  some  time,  and  now  it  must 
be  gotten  to  the  yacht. 

Mr.  Stillman  fired  three  shots  into  the  air  in  regular 
succession.  This  was  a  previously  arranged  signal  for 
help.  He  waited  a  few  moments,  but  there  was  no  reply. 
He  then  repeated  the  triple  discharge. 

A  moment  later  a  distant  boom  was  heard;  the  brass 
cannon  on  the  Altair  had  answered  the  signal. 

After  that  one  shot  was  fired  by  Mr.  Stillman  at  inter- 
vals of  three  minutes,  until  Mr.  Young,  accompanied  by 
four  sailors  emerged  from  the  forest.  They  immediately 
cut  two  poles,  suspended  the  deer  from  them,  and  then 
two  men  could  easily  carry  the  game  by  resting  the  ends 
of  the  poles  on  their  shoulders. 


154  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

That  night  venison,  tender  and  delicious,  was  served 
for  supper,  and  both  the  hunters  for  their  marksmanship, 
and  the  steward  for  his  cuHnary  skill,  were  much  praised. 

About  twilight,  when  all  hands  were  congregated  on 
deck,  and  just  as  the  numerous  owls  in  the  forest  were 
beginning  to  utter  their  solemn  and  mournful  cries,  two 
canoes  containing  natives  were  seen  approaching  the 
yacht  from  the  east  shore.  They  were  soon  alongside, 
when  the  boats  and  their  owners  could  be  minutely 
observed. 

The  canoes  were  made  of  bark,  the  ribs  and  cross- 
pieces  being  of  wood  firmly  bound  together  by  leather 
thongs,  and  ropes  made  of  some  sort  of  tough  grass. 
The  interstices  of  their  crude  boats  were  caulked  with 
moss  and  clay.  The  first  boat  contained  four  men,  and 
the  second  two  men,  an  aged  woman  and  two  young 
women  one  of  whom  had  a  baby  slung  on  her  back. 
These  people  had  brown  skins,  large  dark  eyes  and  long, 
straight  black  hair,  which  was  allowed  to  hang  over  their 
faces.  They  wore  no  clothes  excepting  old  blankets, 
which  were  thrown  over  their  shoulders.  The  young 
women  were  much  better  looking  than  the  men.  Their 
features  were  regular;  their  eyes  large  and  brilliant; 
their  faces  round  and  full,  and  their  teeth  were  as  white 
as  snow.  On  the  bottom  of  the  rear  boat  was  a  mass  of 
clay  on  which  a  small  fire  was  burning,  and  the  women 
kept  adding  dead  twigs  to  the  blaze. 

"What  do  you  people  want?"  asked  Mr.  Stillman  as 
the  canoe  came  to  a  standstill  under  the  side  of  the  yacht. 

"Si,  si,  senor.  GaUetas,  tobacco,  cachimba,  cuchillo,"  they 
said,  in  mixed  English  and  Spanish. 

"They  want  biscuit,  tobacco,  pipes  and  knives,"  said 
Mr,  Stillman,  for  the  benefit  of  those  around  him  who  did 
not  understand  the  natives. 

"What  will  you  give  us  for  galletas  and  tobacco?" 
asked  Mr.  Young. 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  155 

"Skins,  baskets,"  they  shouted  in  unison,  and  then  they 
laug'hed  and  nudged  one  another. 

Finally  two  of  the  men  were  induced  to  come  on  deck 
with  their  grass  baskets  and  skins,  but  they  were  reluctant 
to  do  so;  they  seemed  to  fear  treachery.  They  were 
given  what  they  called  for,  and  the  sailors  made  several 
exchanges  with  them.  Mr.  Young  obtained  three  fine 
silver  fox  skins  from  the  natives,  but  he  paid  them  well 
with  calico,  old  clothes  and  trinkets,  with  which  they 
were  much  pleased. 

The  ladies  made  the  native  women  some  presents  of  old 
shawls,  strings  of  beads,  and  some  brilliantly  colored 
handkerchiefs.  The  recipients  were  delighted  with  what 
was  to  them  luxuries,  and  they  evinced  their  pleasure 
and  gratitude  by  hand  shaking  and  giggling  like  children. 

As  darkness  came  on  the  natives  said  adais  and  left  the 
Altair.  The  course  they  took  could  be  traced  by  the  fire 
they  carried  in  the  smaller  canoe,  and  their  gleeful  voices 
could  be  heard  until  finally  they  got  beyond  hearing  in 
the  distance. 

On  the  morning  of  November  7th,  which  was  Monday, 
the  Altair  passed  out  of  Smyth's  Channel  into  the  Gulf 
of  Penas,  leaving  Wellington  Island  on  the  left.  The 
gulf  was  soon  crossed  and  Tres  Montes  Peninsula 
doubled  when  the  fleet  yacht  was  again  in  the  open  sea. 
The  great  expanse  of  the  Pacific  Ocean  was  before  them 
and  Valparaiso,  their  next  coahng  station,  was  but  1,000 
miles  away. 

The  sense  of  being  in  the  Pacific,  in  the  sea  where 
the  Polynesia  was  lost,  aroused  many  sad  and  painful 
recollections  among  the  voyagers.  They  were  again  im- 
pressed with  the  object  of  the  trip.  Their  minds  had 
been  somewhat  diverted  durin/^  the  train  of  interesting 
events  and  sights,  incident  to  the  last  fortnight  of  travel. 
Now  those  concerned  were  thinking  of  Fred,  and  won- 
dering if  any  clue  to  his  fate  would  be  obtained  during 
the  next  few  inonths, 


156  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

In  the  meantime  the  Altair  was  rapidly  traversing  the 
beautiful  Pacific.  She  was  headed  due  north  under  full 
steam,  and  the  graceful  black  and  white  cape  pigeons 
were  soon  left  in  the  rear,  but  a  persistent  albatross  fol- 
lowed the  yacht  for  six  consecutive  hours.  His  only  re- 
ward was  a  few  bits  of  bacon  and  some  broken  hard-tack 
w:hich  the  ladies  threw  him.  These  morsels  he  skillfully 
scooped  from  the  waves  and  swallowed  with  apparent 
gusto. 

At  this  time  the  voyagers  sat  in  the  saloon  or  walked 
up  and  down  the  deck  in  wraps,  discussing  the  course 
to  be  pursued  after  leaving  Valparaiso.  Of  course,  they 
might  receive  news  at  that  port  that  would  terminate  the 
voyage;  if  not,  by  what  would  their  future  actions  be 
governed?  Messrs.  Young,  Stillman  and  Ashton  con- 
curred in  the  belief  that  the  second  life-boat  which  left 
the  Polynesia  sailed  in  the  direction  of  the  Low  Archi- 
pelago, and  that  the  survivors  either  landed  on  some  of 
the  islands  of  that  group,  or  on  the  Society  Islands  which 
lie  just  beyond.  These  men  could  not  possibly  think 
that  those  in  the  life-boat  would  boldly  make  for  the  dis- 
tant American  coast,  when  they  must  have  known  that 
land  was  but  a  few  hundred  miles  away  in  the  opposite 
direction.  The  captain  of  the  lost  ship  was  supposed  to 
have  been  in  that  small  boat,  and  he  must  have  been  a 
man  of  considerable  knowledge  and  a  competent  naviga- 
tor, or  the  owners  would  not  have  intrusted  him  with  a 
large  ocean  ship.  He,  certainly,  would  not  have  been 
foolhardy  enough  to  endeavor  to  reach  the  South  Ameri- 
can coast. 

It  was  finally  decided  to  sail  direct  to  Papeete,  Tahiti, 
which  is  the  emporium  of  the  Society  Islands  and  the 
neighboring  groups.  If  nothing  was  learned  there  con- 
cerning the  missing  boat,  a  thorough  and  systematic 
search  was  to  be  made  of  all  the  islands  in  that  vicinity. 

After  an  uneventful  run  of  two  and  one-half  days, 
Point  Angelos  was  sighted,  and  late  in  the  afternoon  of 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  157 

November  9th  the  Altair  came  to  anchor  in  the  Bay  of 
Valparaiso. 

The  city  lies  on  the  south  shore  of  the  harbor,  which 
is  two  and  one-half  miles  across,  semicircular  in  form 
and  well  sheltered  except  from  north  winds.  The 
bay  affords  excellent  anchorage.  Near  the  city  are  two 
large  floating  docks  capable  of  accommodating  vessels 
of  from  1,400  to  3,000  tons  burden.  The  city  proper  oc- 
cupies a  narrow  strip  of  low  land,  which  lies  between 
high  hills  in  the  background  and  the  margin  of  the  bay. 
It  also  extends  back  into  the  valleys  which  run  toward  the 
water.  The  Government  palace  and  the  custom-house 
were  the  most  conspicuous  buildings  noted. 

It  was  a  noticeable  fact  that  two-thirds  of  the  hetero- 
geneous mass  of  shipping  in  the  bay  floated  foreign  flags ; 
only  a  very  small  proportion  bore  the  red,  white  and  blue 
flag  of  Chili. 

The  Altair  had  come  to  anchor  in  the  roadstead,  and 
not  far  from  the  docks.  A  few  hours  were  at  the  voy- 
agers' disposal,  so  Mr.  Young,  his  wife  and  Constance, 
Mr,  and  Mrs.  Stillman  and  Marion  and  Captain  Ashton 
went  ashore  in  the  launch.  They  hired  two  carriages, 
which  were  drawn  by  mules  and  driven  by  swarthy 
Chilians,  who  wore  sombreros  and  ponchos,  which  were 
somewhat  the  worse  for  use. 

The  Americans  were  first  driven  to  the  office  of  the 
Australian  Steamship  Co.,  where  they  were  so  fortunate 
as  to  find  Mr.  Lawrence,  the  agent,  who  was  an  English 
gentleman.  Mr.  Young  produced  several  letters  of  in- 
troduction and  handed  them  to  the  agent. 

"I  am  pleased  to  meet  you,  Mr.  Young,"  said  Mr. 
Lawrence  when  he  had  perused  the  letters.  "I  remem- 
ber receiving  your  telegram  just  after  the  Eldorado  arrived 
with  the  survivors  of  the  wreck.  I  was  sorry  that  I 
could  not  learn  any^thing  further  for  ybu  concerning  the 
second  life-boat." 

Mr.  Young  introduced  his  companions  to  the  agent, 


158  FBEDERICE    YOUNG. 

and  then  that  gentleman  produced  a  telegram  which  had 
been  received  four  days  previous  from  Mr.  Clark. 

He  said  that  nothing  new  had  been  learned  in  New 
York  since  the  departure  of  the  expedition. 

"Mr.  Lawrence,  can  you  give  us  any  information  or 
advice  concerning  this  unhappy  affair?"  asked  Mr. 
Young,  after  he  and  his  companions  had  had  a  long  con- 
ference with  the  agent. 

"It  was  a  very  mysterious  affair,  that  disaster.  I  can- 
not account  for  the  explosion  which  sank  the  ship.  It 
cannot  be  laid  to  the  company,  for  they  lost  money  by  the 
wreck.  The  Polynesia  was  not  insured  for  a  sufficiently 
large  amount  ^o  cover  her  value  and  that  of  her  cargo. 
Regarding  the  second  life-boat,  I  am  afraid  it  was  cap- 
sized in  the  storm  which  occurred  a  few  days  after  the 
wreck  of  the  ship,  for  if  it  survived  that  gale  I  think  we 
would  have  heard  from  the  captain  long  ago,"  said  the 
agent. 

"But,"  said  Mr.  Young,  "suppose  they  landed  on  some 
of  the  small  uninhabited  islands  of  the  Pacific.  It  may, 
in  that  case,  be  years  before  we  hear  from  them." 

"If  they  had  a  boat  to  reach  land,  there  is  no  reason 
why  they  should  remain  there;  they  could  sail  from  one 
island  to  another  until  they  reached  civilization,"  re- 
turned Mr.  Lawrence. 

"That  boat,"  continued  Mr.  Young,  "may  have  been 
destroyed  through  some  cause  unknown  to  us,  after  the 
survivors  reached  some  solitary  islet,  and  they  were 
unable  to  communicate  with  the  outer  world  or  to  leave 
the  island.  Or,  both  men  and  boat  may  have  been  taken 
prisoners  by  some  of  the  savages  which  inhabit  many  of 
the  Polynesian  groups." 

"I  am  sorry  to  disappoint  your  hopes,  ladies  and  gen- 
tlemen, but  you  asked  my  opinion,  and  I  cannot  conscien- 
tiously do  otherwise  than  give  it.  I  do  not  expect  to 
hear  from  the  second  boat  again,  nor  the  men  who  were 
in  it.     For  their  sake  and  for  yours,  however,  I  hope  I 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  159 

am  wrong,  and  I  sincerely  hope  that  your  search  will  be 
rewarded  by  success." 

"We  have  a  strong  presentiment  that  our  son  still 
lives,  and  we  shall  not  abandon  the  search  for  him  until 
its  further  prosecution,  to  us,  seems  hopeless,"  said  Mr. 
Young,  evincing  considerable  feeling  and  indignation. 
He  did  not  hke  the  position  taken  by  the  agent. 

The  voyagers  soon  left  the  office,  depressed  in  spirits 
and  sad.  They  then  spent  a  few  hours  sight-seeing  and 
shopping. 

It  was  a  novelty  to  drive  around  this  Chilian  port  and 
see  the  wealthy  sefiors  cantering  along  on  horseback 
with  their  long  cape-like  coats  made  of  all  sorts  of  rich 
materials  and  lavishly  trimmed  with  silver  and  gold,  and 
their  broad-brimmed  hats  embellished  in  a  like  manner. 
Some  wore  golden  spurs,  and  their  horses'  accoutrements 
were  resplendent  with  expensive  decorations.  They 
greatly  enjoy  equestrian  sports,  and  they  take  great  pride 
in  their  thoroughbred  horses  and  their  equipments. 

After  making  the  necessary  purchases  the  voyagers 
returned  to  the  Altair. 

Early  the  next  morning  the  yacht  steamed  out  of  the 
bay  on  her  voyage  to  the  Society  Islands. 

Marion  and  Constance  were  in  the  stern,  and  they  re- 
mained there  talking  of  the  lost  lover  and  brother  until 
the  bold,  rocky  shores  of  Chili  had  disappeared  below  the 
eastern  horizon.  It  almost  seemed  to  them  that  this 
voyage  was  near  its  termination,  and  that  they  were  to 
meet  Fred  soon.  Let  us  trust  that  their  hopes  were  to 
be  realized. 

Captain  Ashton  had  laid  his  course  south  of  the  Low 
Archipelago,  so  as  to  avoid  the  danger  incident  to  navi- 
gating among  those  coral-bound  islands.  Good  weather 
prevailed  and  the  yacht  maintained  her  mean  speed  of 
eighteen  miles  an  hour. 

During  the  morning  of  November  i6th,  when  the  Altair 
was  about  loo  miles  southwest  of  Pitcairn's  Island,  a 


160  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

peculiar  circumstance  occurred.  Prince  had  been  walk- 
ing the  deck  with  his  numerous  friends,  as  was  his  cus- 
tom, but  it  was  noticed  that  he  had  been  very  uneasy 
since  breakfast.  About  9  o'clock  he  climbed  up  on  the 
bridge  and  gazed  long  and  earnestly  to  the  southwest, 
then  he  sniffed  the  air  as  if  he  scented  something,  and  the 
next  moment  he  uttered  a  long,  tremulous  howl  that  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  everybody  en  deck. 

"What  is  it.  Prince?  Tell  us  what  you  see!"  said 
Marion,  going  on  the  bridge. 

The  St.  Bernard  answered  by  another  long,  soul-stir- 
ring howl. 

"What  can  be  the  matter  with  Prince?"  said  Marion 
to  the  captain,  as  he  joined  her. 

"I  cannot  possibly  imagine,"  he  replied.  "There  are 
no  ships  or  land  in  sight,  and  I  see  no  birds  or  fishes  that 
could  excite  him  to  such  a  pitch." 

The  intelligent  animal  was  now  looking  up  at  Marion 
and  begging  as  he  had  never  done  before.  He  seemed 
to  want  to  make  her  understand  what  he  knew;  it  was  a 
pity  he  could  not  have  had  the  power  of  speech  for  a  few 
moments. 

"Poor  old  fellow!  I  wonder  what  it  is,"  said  Marion, 
stroking  the  dog's  head. 

"In  all  probability,  Miss  Stillman,  a  shark  or  some 
other  large  fish  came  alongside  and  Prince  saw  or  scented 
it.  You  know  that  the  sense  of  smell  and  the  sense  of 
sight,  as  a  rule,  are  much  keener  in  animals  than  in  hu- 
man beings,"  said  Captain  Ashton. 

"Perhaps,"  returned  Marion,  but  she  looked  very 
■thoughtful,  and  it  was  evident  that  the  captain's  explana- 
tion had  not  fully  satisfied  her. 

Everbody  on  deck  was  more  or  less  puzzled  over  this 
little  episode,  but  Prince  made  no  further  demonstra- 
tions, so  the  occurrence  was  soon  forgotten  by  the  ma- 
jority. There  were  a  few,  however,  who  did  not  forget 
it,  and  Marion  and  Mr.  Young  were  of  this  small  number. 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  161 

They  knew  what  a  sagacious  dog  Prince  was,  and  they 
were  positive  that  he  had  cogent  reasons  for  acting  so 
strangely. 

At  this  time  the  Altair  was  not  over  500  miles  from 
Empire  Island,  and  consequently  that  near  the  object  of 
their  search — Frederick  Young.  Could  it  be  possible 
that  Prince  had  become  cognizant  of  his  young  master's 
proximity,  through  some  occult  power  or  sense  unknown 
to  the  voyagers?  It  does  not  seem  possible,  and  yet  the 
yacht's  nearness  to  Empire  Island  and  the  strange  be- 
havior of  the  dog  at  that  time,  certainly  indicated  a  re- 
markable coincidence. 

What  sorrow  and  suspense  might  have  been  averted  if 
the  pilot  could  have  been  instructed  to  turn  the  bow  of 
the  Altair  to  the  southwest.  In  a  little  over  twenty-four 
hours  Mount  Ellsworth  would  have  been  sighted,  and 
then  the  signal,  and  then  the  lost  Would  have  been  found. 
Ignorance  destined  it  to  be  otherwise,  and  the  yacht, 
impelled  by  the  untiring  motion  of  the  twin-screws,  rap- 
idly widened  the  breach  between  parents  and  son; 
brother  and  sister — yes,  and  between  the  lovers,  Marion 
and  Fred. 

Friday,  November  18,  1881,  the  Society  Islands  were 
sighted  directly  ahead.  The  volcanic  island  of  Tahiti 
was,  of  course,  first  seen.  The  great  double-peaked 
mountain  called  Orohena,  which  towers  to  an  altitude 
of  7,340  feet  can  be  discerned  from  a  ship  when  it  is  far 
out  at  sea.  Tahiti,  the  main  island  of  the  Society  group, 
has  an  area  of  600  square  miles  and  a  population  of 
nearly  10,000  souls.  About  one-eighth  are  foreigners, 
the  majority  of  whom  are  French  and  half-castes.  Pa- 
peete has  a  good  harbor  of  fair  size  and  depth,  and  it  is 
entered  by  two  passages  in  the  outlying  reef.  Papeete 
to  the  north  with  a  depth  of  seven  fathoms,  and  Taunos 
to  the  east,  the  wider  and  more  convenient,  but  not  so 
deep. 

The  Altair  entered  the  bay  through  the  latter  passage. 


163  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

Papeete  has  a  population  of  three  or  four  thousand, 
and  it  is  the  emporium  of  trade  for  the  islands  of  that 
section.  The  principal  exports  are  cocoanuts,  mother 
of  pearl,  cotton,  sugar,  oranges  and  vanilla. 

By  4  o'clock  that  afternoon  the  yacht  had  entered  this 
beautiful  harbor,  the  anchor  chain  rattled  through  the 
hawse-hole,  and  the  Altair  was  at  rest  after  running  a 
distance  of  3,000  miles  under  full  steam. 


FBEDEEICK    YOUNG.  ,163 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE     VILLAIN     AT     HOME. 

One  fine  morning  in  October,  when  the  Altair  had  been 
gone  from  New  York  about  ten  days,  the  swift  steamship 
Germania  of  the  Blue  Star  Line  arrived  from  Liverpool. 
She  moored  at  her  dock  near  the  foot  of  West  loth  Street, 
North  River,  and  one  of  the  first  passengers  to  descend 
the  gangway  bridge  was  our  old  acquaintance,  Robert 
Clark. 

Yes,  the  man  who  had  stooped  to  a  dastardly  crime 
to  put  his  rival  out  of  existence,  was  once  more  on  his 
native  soil,  to  carry  out  the  balance  of  his  preconceived 
plan — to  complete  his  villainous  ideas. 

Six  weeks  previous  to  his. arrival  his  parents  had  re- 
ceived a  letter  dated  Alexandria,  Egypt,  from  Robert, 
saying  that  he  had  just  returned  from  a  long  trip  in  the 
interior  and  that  he  expected  to  start  for  New  York  in  a 
few  days. 

He  was  received  by  his  father  and  mother  with  open 
arms.  He  was  their  only  son  and  they  thought  he  was 
about  perfect.  Of  course  they  knew  that  he  had  been 
rather  wild  and  dissipated  when  at  home,  but  they  were 
in  hopes  that  he  had  reformed  during  his  sojourn  abroad. 
They  were  fortunately  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  he  had 
gone  deeper  into  the  mire,  and  that  through  his  instru- 
mentality many  souls  had  been  sent  to  eternity. 

Robert  did  not  want  to  appear  too  anxious,  but  as  soon 
as  he  had  told  his  folks  about  some  of  the  sights  and 
pleasures  abroad,  he  commenced  to  inquire  about  his  old 
acquaintances, and  finally  asked  if  Marion  and  Fred  were 
married  yet.  As  he  asked  this  question  his  voice  was 
unsteady  and  his  face  grew  slightly  pale,  and  his  mother 


164  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

noticed  the  change,  but  she  attributed  it  to  his  feelings 
toward  Marion,  and  this  preference  for  the  young  lady 
Mrs.  Clark  had  really  favored.  If  he  could  have  won 
Marion  for  his  wife,  she  thought,  it  would  have  made 
him  more  steady,  better  and  more  manly. 

"No,  Robert,  they  are  not  married,  and  I  do  not  think 
they  ever  "will  be,"  replied  Mrs.  Clark. 

"Why,  mother,  what  is  the  matter?"  anxiously  in- 
quired Robert. 

"Well,  my  son,  the  truth  of  the  matter  is,  the  steam- 
ship in  which  Fred  left  Melbourne  was  lost;  blown  up 
in  the  Central  Pacific,  and  we  fear  he  was  drowned, 
although  the  Youngs  and  Stillmans  will  not  have  it  so. 
They  really  think  that  Fred  will  yet  be  found;  that  he 
will  be  heard  from  again,  and  I  hope  he  will,  for  he  was 
an  excellent  young  man,  but  it  was  last  February  that  the 
wreck  occurred  and  no  tidings  have  been  received  from 
him  as  yet." 

"Have  none  of  the  passengers  that  were  on  the  Poly- 
nesia been  heard  from?" 

"How  did  you  know  that  Fred  was  on  the  Polynesia, 
Robert?" 

"Why  I — I  think  you  said  so,  mother,  or — or  of  course 
I  should  not  have  known,"  replied  Robert  in  a  confused 
manner. 

He  had  made  a  mistake  and  the  slip  caused  a  dark, 
slim  man  in  the  adjoining  room,  who  had  been  an  at- 
tentive listener  to  the  foregoing  conversation,  to  utter  a 
slight  exclamation.  He  then  applied  his  ear  to  the  in- 
tervening draperies  more  assiduously  than  before,  if  such 
a  thing  were  possible. 

'Perhaps  I  did  mention  the  Polynesia,  but  I  cannot  re- 
member of  doing  so,"  said  Mrs.  Clark,  reflectively. 

"It  does  not  matter  any  way,  but  you  have'not  told  me 
yet  if  the  passengers  were  all  lost,"  said  Robert. 

"The  women,  children,  and  some  of  the  sailors  were 
saved;    they  put  ofif  in  the  first  life-boat  and  sometime 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  165 

afterwards  they  were  picked  up  by  a  vessel  and  taken  to 
Valparaiso.  The  second  boat,  in  which  Fred  is  sup- 
posed to  have  embarked,  has  never  been  heard  from  and 
most  of  his  friends  have  given  him  up  for  lost.  You  see 
the  wreck  happened  in  a  thick  fog,  and  the  boats  became 
separated;  so  the  fate  of  those  poor  passengers  is  un- 
known." 

"Do  they  think  the  boiler  exploded?"  innocently  asked 
Robert. 

"They  say  not;  something  exploded  in  the  forward 
part  of  the  ship  and  blew  the  bow  all  to  pieces  and  set  the 
woodwork  on  fire.  It  has  not  been  satisfactorily  ex- 
plained, I  believe,  how  the  explosive  came  in  the  ship's 
hold  and  why  it  exploded  at  that  time.  The  second  mate 
claims  that  he  knew  what  each  package  that  was  in  the 
hold  was  supposed  to  contain,  for  he  handled  all  the  mani- 
fests, and  if  any  explosive  was  stowed  away  he  thinks  it 
was  smuggled  on  board  with  a  malicious  purpose." 

"I  am  sorry  for  Marion  apd  Fred's  parents;  it  must 
have  affected  them  severely,"  hypocritically  said  Robert, 
trying  to  appear  sad  and  sympathetic. 

"Yes,  poor  Marion  has  suffered  a  great  deal  through 
that  unfortunate  affair.  At  one  time  they  did  not  know 
as  she  would  live  through  an  attack  of  fever,  which  was 
undoubtedly  brought  on  by  her  worrying  so  much." 

"I  must  go  over  this  evening  and  condole  with  the 
poor  girl,"  said  Robert. 

"I  am  afraid,  my  son,  you  will  have  to  go  a  long  way 
to  see  Maribn  to-night." 

"Why,  mother,  where  is  she?**  he  said  in  an  alarmed 
tone. 

"She  is  thousands  of  miles  from  New  York  to-day;  she 
is  on  the  way  to  the  South  Pacific  to  search  for  her  lost 
lover." 

"You  are  joking  with  me,  mother!" 

"No,  Robert.  Mr.  Young  and  Marion  planned  it 
between  them,  and  on  the  15th  of  this  month  all  the 


166  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

Youngs  and  Stillmans  left  on  Mr.  Young's  yacht,  Altair, 
for  the  place  where  the  wreck  occurred.  If  they  do  not 
find  Fred  or  learn  his  fate,  they  may  be  gone  for  years. 
They  have  got  plenty  of  money,  and  they  can  spend  the 
balance  of  their  lives  on  the  search  if  they  choose." 

As  Robert  Clark  heard  this  he  gnashed  his  teeth  with 
rage,  and  inwardly  cursed  the  fate  that  had  frustrated  his 
plans  for  several  years  at  least.  Outwardly  he  did  nor 
show  his  feelings  so  much,  but  he  could  not  help  letting 
Mrs.  Clark  see  how  matters  stood.  There  was  no  alter- 
native; he  was  balked  and  must  make  the  best  of  the 
situation.  His  only  consolation  was  that  the  searching 
party  would  soon  get  tired  and  discouraged,  abandon 
their  object  and  return  home,  when  he  would  woo  and 
win  the  fair  Marion. 

After  a  few  days  he  again  fell  into  the  old  ruts  and  fre- 
quented drinking  saloons  and  gambling  holes  as  in  the 
days  gone  by. 


The  evening  before  the  steamship  Germania  left  Liver- 
pool a  fancy  dress  ball  was  given  in  Lx>ndon,  and  Robert 
Clark  accompanied  a  former  New  York  friend  of  his  to 
the  gathering.  A  certain  Lady  Trevor  was  present,  and 
Robert  was  quite  attentive  to  her  during  the  evening. 

When  Lady  Trevor  arrived  home  shortly  after  mid- 
night she  was  astounded  to  find  that  her  diamond  neck- 
lace and  hair  ornament  were  missing.  Someone,  with 
remarkable  adroitness,  had  relieved  her  person  of  them, 
and  they  were  valued  at  4,000  pounds  sterling.  She  im- 
mediately thought  of  the  attentive  stranger  of  the  evening, 
and  her  suspicion  after  mature  thought  centered  on  him. 
It  was  so  late  that  she  postponed  action  until  morning, 
which  was  a  mistake  on  her  part,  when  she  communi- 
cated with  Scotland  Yard,  and  a  detective  was  detailed  to 
investigate. 

It  so  happened  that  on  that  very  morning  Robert  Clark 


FREDERICK    YOUNQ.  167 

left  London  for  Liverpool  on  a  limited  express.  He  ar- 
rived just  in  time  to  board  the  Germania. 

Just  three  hours  after  the  great  Atlantic  liner  had  put 
to  sea,  the  detective  learned  that  the  suspect  was  on  board 
of  her.  He  could  do  nothing  to  detain  his  man,  so  he 
cabled  New  York  the  particulars  and  instructed  his  breth- 
ren there  to  be  on  the  lookout  for  Clark  when  the 
Germania  arrived  at  that  port. 

The  custom-house  ofiftcials,  as  a  consequence,  were 
ready  on  the  arrival  of  the  ship,  as  was  also  a  detective, 
who  was  a  dark,  slim  man,  noted  for  his  prowess  in  run- 
ning down  criminals. 

When  Robert  came  ashore  he  and  his  baggage  were 
subjected  to  a  rigorous  search  by  the  custom  inspectors, 
assisted  by  the  detective.  The  diamonds  could  not  be 
found,  and  the  inspectors  were  willing  to  stake  their 
reputation  that  the  gems  were  not  in  the  suspect's  pos- 
session. On  the  strength  of  this  assertion  the  detective 
refrained  from  arresting  his  man,  but  he  did  shadow  him 
to  the  Clark  residence,  gained  access  by  passing  himself 
off  as  an  inspector  of  gas  meters  to  the  servants,  and 
overheard  the  conversation  between  Robert  and  his 
mother. 

When  young  Clark  slipped  up,  so  to  speak,  in  his  con- 
versation regarding  the  wreck  of  the  Polynesia,  the  de- 
tective heard,  saw  Robert's  confusion,  and  drew  his  own 
inference.  Detective  Slocum,  for  such  was  his  name, 
had  read  of  the  disaster  and  he  knew  that  a  large  reward 
had  been  offered  for  the  detection  of  the  person  or  persons 
who  shipped  the  explosive  which  caused  the  loss  of  a 
valuable  ship,  her  cargo  and  many  lives. 

"Ah,  my  friend!  So  you  know  something  about  the 
loss  of  the  Polynesia!"  the  detective  said  to  himself. 
"Perhaps  I  will  recover  the  diamonds  and  find  the  man 
that  the  Australian  Steamship  Co.  are  after  at  the  same 
time.  This  Robert  Clark  surely  had  a  motive  for  sink- 
ing that  ship,  for  his  hated  rival  was  on  board,  and  young 


168  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

Clark  certainly  knows  something-  about  that  affair.  I 
have  studied  human  character  too  long  to  be  deceived 
this  time,  I  have  not  much  work  on  hand  at  present,  so 
I  will  ascertain  where  Robert  Clark  was  and  what  he  was 
doing  about  the  time  the  Polynesia  was  lost.  If  I  mistake 
not  I  have  a  strong  clue,  and  one  that  it  will  pay  to  inves- 
tigate." 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  169 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

CRUEL    FATE. 

We  will  now  turn  our  attention  again  to  the  castaways 
on  Empire  Island.  Mr.  Ellsworth  and  Fred  were  still  go- 
ing through  the  monotonous  routine  of  their  lonely  life, 
which  was  passed  away  by  hunting,  fishing,  cooking, 
sleeping  and  talking.  This  was  about  all  they  could  do, 
for  they  had  no  tools  to  construct  a  boat  with;  and  it 
would  be  madness  to  put  to  sea  on  a  cumbersome  raft, 
which  might  be  broken  to  pieces  by  the  first  heavy  sea 
it  encountered.  And  then  by  mistake  they  might  land  on 
some  isle  frequented  by  savage  tribes,  when  they  would 
be  worse  off  than  ever.  They  had  now  been  on  Empire 
Island  for  over  a  year,  and  during  that  time  they  had  not 
been  disturbed  by  man  or  beast.  It  had  been  a  calm, 
peaceful  existence. 

Fred  little  thought  that  on  the  i6th  of  November  pre- 
vious the  Altair  had  passed  but  500  miles  north-east  of 
him. 

One  beautiful  night  in  April,  the  autumn  of  the  south- 
em  hemisphere,  when  the  moon  was  shining  in  a  clear 
sky,  the  castaways  sat  on  the  veranda  of  their  cabin  and 
talked  long  and  earnestly  of  their  homes  and  friends. 
The  only  things  to  break  the  stillness  of  the  night  were 
the  incessant  hum  of  insects;  the  occasional  notes  of 
night-birds  as  they  passed  on  noiseless  wings,  and  the 
wash  of  the  waves  as  they  ran  up  on  the  shingle  of  Coral 
Bay. 

"Is  it  possible,"  said  Fred,  "that  of  all  the  planks  we 
have  liberated  bearing  our  story,  not  one  has  reached  the 
eye  of  an  intelligent  human  being?" 


170  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

"The  surface  of  the  Pacific,  Fred,  is  almost  boundless, 
and  it  would  be  nothing  strange  if  the  planks  are  never 
heard  from.  They  could  easily  get  lost  on  its  vast  ex- 
panse, and  it  is  possible  that  the  markings  have  been 
washed  off  before  now." 

"It  is  possible,  but  not  probable.  If  there  be  a  Merci- 
ful Father  above,  I  trust  that  he  will  assist  us  in  our 
trouble  and  guide  those  planks  to  a  place  where  they  will 
be  found  by  those  who  can  come  tc  us,  or  send  us  succor  1" 
said  Fred. 

After  a  long  silence  Mr.  Ellsworth  broached  another 
subject. 

"Fred,"  he  said,  "can  you  imagine  anything  without 
a  beginning;  in  other  words,  can  you  imagine  anything 
that  never  had  a  non-existence?" 

"No,  Mr.  Ellsworth,  it  seems  to  me  that  there  must  have 
been  a  time  when  everything  that  now  exists,  did  not 
then  exist." 

"You  think,  then,  that  enough  ciphers  and  figures  can 
be  placed  at  the  right  of  a  numeral  to  express  in  years  the 
date  of  the  creation  of  all  matter,  whether  it  be  animated 
or  inert?" 

"That  is  my  opinion." 

"Then  you  must  admit  that  there  was  a  time  when  God 
himself  did  not  exist.  If  such  is  a  fact,  who  was  God's 
creator?  When  and  by  what  means  did  the  Omnipotent 
come  into  existence?" 

"No  one  on  this  sphere  can  intelligently  answer  those 
questions." 

"That  is  probably  true,  but  human  beings  can  theo- 
rize, and  theory  often  paves  the  way  for  truth,  especially 
if  the  former  is  founded  on  intelligent  thought. 

"If  God  was  brought  into  existence,  his  creator  must 
have  been  equal  if  not  superior  to  his  creation,  and  now 
the  question  naturally  presents  itself,  What  became  of 
that  being?  Does  he  still  exist?  We  certainly  cannot 
admit  that  he  has  passed  out  of  existence.     Such  a  po- 


FREDERICK    YOUNO.  171 

tent  being  surely  must  have  been  endowed  with  eternal 
life.  But  we  cannot  stop  at  this  point;  we  must  con- 
tinue our  suppositions.  We  cannot  but  admit  if  God 
was  created,  his  creator  was  also  created ;  so  we  might  go 
back  into  the  infinite  remoteness  of  the  past,  until  finally 
we  would  become  lost  and  confused  by  our  own  thoughts, 
and  end  the  matter  by  saying  that  sometime  in  the  past 
ages,  power  and  intelligence,  by  unknown  chemical  action, 
came  into  existence  spontaneously.  Now,  if  we  have  to 
fall  back  on  this  old  theory  for  a  beginning,  why  not  apply 
this  natural  creation,  from  inert  elements,  to  man  himself 
and  reason  thus?  There  must  have  been  a  time  when 
the  Omnipotent  was  not,  therefore  he  must  have  been 
created ;  but  if  he  was  created  he  must  have  had  a  creator, 
and  we  cannot  account  for  God's  creator  unless  we  fall 
back,  so  to  speak,  on  natural  causes;  consequently,  we 
will  reject  all  these  ideas  concerning  one  being  creating 
another,  and  conclude  that  man  was  brought  into  exist- 
ence by  spontaneous  generation." 

"You  truly  do  have  some  original  ideas,  Mr.  Ellsworth," 
said  Fred,  laughing.  "I  do  not  know  that  it  matters  to 
me  how  God  came  into  existence.  I  have  faith  in  him, 
and  sometime  I  think  our  curiosity  regarding  the  mys- 
teries of  nature  will  be  gratified.  It  seems  incredible 
to  me  that  any  rational  and  moderately  intelHgent  person 
who  observes  the  fine  and  harmonious  adjustments  of 
God's  handiwork,  can  attribute  it  to  an  accidental  com- 
mingling of  a  few  terrestrial  elements,  even  if  the  com- 
bination thus  formed  is  subsequently  modified  by  envi- 
ronments." 

"The  Omnipotent,"  continued  the  scientist,  "must  ex- 
ist as  a  universal  energy  and  intelligence.  The  universe 
is  too  large;  the  bodies  therein  contained  are  too  nu- 
merous, and  the  incalculable  distances  by  which  they  are 
separated  are  too  great,  for  one  body,  or  organized  form, 
to  control,  unless  that  body  has  innumerable  assistants 
scattered  throughout  his  domains.     The  illogical  idea 


173  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

of  God  and  man  having  a  common  likeness  is  not  toler- 
ated in  these  latter  decades. 

"Man  is  fitted  for  the  earth;  he  is  built  just  strong 
enough  in  frame  to  overcome  the  specific  gravity  of  our 
sphere.  If  that  gravity  should  become  more  powerful 
through  any  cause,  I  have  no  doubt  but  that  man  would 
be  subjected  to  a  rapid  process  of  evolution.  He  would 
soon  grow  stronger  in  body  and  limbs,  and  he  would  be- 
come adapted  to  the  new  order  of  centripetal  power.  The 
respiratory  organs  of  man  are  perfectly  adapted  to  the 
air  pressure  of  the  earth,  and  if  he  changes  his  habitation 
from  the  sea-level  to  a  high  mountainous  country,  his 
nostrils  become  expanded  and  his  lungs  become  more  ca- 
pacious. The  reason  is  obvious;  the  air  at  great  alti- 
tudes is  rarefied ;  that  is,  there  is  more  space  between  the 
molecules,  so  the  lungs  necessarily  have  to  inhale  greater 
quantities  of  this  tenuous  gas  in  order  that  the  body  may 
be  supplied  with  the  requisite  amount  of  oxygen. 

"As  man  is  adapted  to  his  surroundings,  so,  no  doubt, 
are  the  inhabitants  of  other  planets  adapted  to  the  gravi- 
tation of  the  spheres  on  which  they  live.  There  are 
probably  three  and  possibly  more  planets  in  our  system 
which  are  inhabited  by  organic  forms.  I  have  no  doubt 
but  that  there  are  millions  of  bodies,  having  their  orbits 
around  the  myriads  of  suns  exterior  to  the  solar  system, 
which  iiave  animated  beings  upon  their  surfaces.  In  all 
probability  it  would  be  impossible  to  find  two  spheres 
among  the  many,  which  have  the  same  density,  the  same 
depth  of  atmosphere,  and  the  same  amount  of  heat  and 
light  radiated  upon  their  surfaces.  Therefore,  it  is  very 
unlikely  that  beings  of  a  like  nature,  as  to  size,  strength 
and  form,  exist  on  any  two  planets. 

"Now,  if  God  and  man  are  modeled  after  the  same  pat- 
tern it  is  very  strange,  for  man  is  modified  to  terrestrial 
existence,  while  his  ruler  is  supposed  to  be  everywhere 
throughout  the  universe.  He  is  supposed  to  have  con- 
trol of  the  souls  and  destinies  of  the  pigmies  of  Mercury 


FREDERICK    YOUNG,  173 

as  well  as  the  giants  of  Jupiter.  Is  it  not  a  strange  co- 
incidence that  God  should  be  hke  the  insignificant  beings 
which  Uve  upon  this  molecule-like  sphere  which  we  call 
earth?  The  explanation  is  simple  to  every  reflective 
mind.  The  idea  originated  in  some  puerile  brain  of 
antiquity." 

"You  understand  all  those  Mosaic  assertions  to  have 
been  made  in  a  hteral  sense,  while  perhaps  they  were  em- 
ployed figuratively  by  the  early  writers,  or  they  may  have 
been  wrongly  translated  subsequently,"  returned  Fred. 

"Perhaps,  Fred.  We  must  wait  for  the  next  act  in  our 
drama  of  existence.  In  the  meantime  we  can  observe 
the  evidence  of  a  high  intelligence  as  universally  displayed 
by  nature,  and  speculate  and  surmise  as  to  the  origin 
thereof." 

During  the  few  weeks  that  followed  the  foregoing 
conversation,  the  peaceful  existence  which  the  castaways 
had  hitherto  experienced  was  disturbed  by  the  occur- 
rence of  two  remarkable  events.  The  first  happened 
April  20,  1882,  in  the  afternoon.  Fred  had  been  on  a 
short  hunting  excursion  in  the  direction  of  Cape  Garfield, 
and  he  was  returning  to  the  palms  by  the  shore  route. 
When  he  was  a  little  over  a  mile  from  the  cabin,  and  just 
east  of  the  clififs,  he  saw  a  long,  yellowish  object  floating 
on  the  sea  some  ten  rods  from  shore.  Perhaps  his  at- 
tention was  first  directed  to  it  by  a  number  of  obstreper- 
ous gulls  which  hovered  over  the  object.  The  coastwise 
current  seemed  to  be  carrying  it  along  quite  rapidly  to  the 
west,  and  in  all  probability  it  would  not  touch  the  land 
unless  the  wind  should  change  to  the  north  and  drive 
the  object  ashore.  Fred,  after  a  careful  and  somewhat 
prolonged  observation,  decided  that  he  had  discovered  a 
derelict  mast  from  a  large  ship.  Of  course  he  could  not 
tell  from  whence  nor  how  far  it  had  come,  but  it  seemed 
rational  to  conjecture  that  it  had  been  broken  and 
wrenched  from  some  vessel  during  a  hard  blow.  It  was 
not  likely  that  it  came  from  a  sunken  ship,  as  in  such  cases 


174  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

the  masts  usually  go  down  with  the  hull.  This  discovery 
seemed  to  be  an  entire  mast,  including  cross-tree,  top- 
mast and  some  rigging;  things  that  might  be  of  great 
value  to  the  castaways.  Fred  realized  this  and  immedi- 
ately hastened  to  apprise  Mr.  Ellsworth  of  the  discovery. 

Twenty  minutes  later  Fred  arrived  at  the  cabin,  having 
run  all  the  way,  and  breathlessly  told  the  scientist  about 
the  mast. 

"You  say,  Fred,  the  mast  appears  to  be  some  ten  rods 
oflF  shore?" 

"About  that  far." 

"And  it  seems  to  be  moving  parallel  with  the  coast  and 
toward  Harlem  Reef?" 

"Y<ts,  and  I  think  it  may  get  stranded  there  or  on  Cape 
Hudson." 

"Possibly,  Fred,  but  we  must  not  trust  to  chance;  we 
must  save  this  wreckage  without  fail.  Let  us  take  the 
best  and  strongest  of  our  fiber  rope  and  walk  along  shore 
until  we  meet  our  visitor.  If  there  has  been  a  wreck 
in  this  vicinity  other  pieces  of  more  valuable  wreckage 
may  come  this  way,  and  we  must  be  on  the  alert  and  cap- 
ture everything  that  is  possible." 

"Very  well,  Mr.  Ellsworth.  It  will  not  be  long,  how- 
ever, before  the  mast  will  be  off  the  reef,  for  wind  and  cur- 
rent seem  to  be  carrying  it  along  quite  rapidly." 

"I  want  to  see  it  and  study  the  situation  before  it  gets 
here,  then  we  shall  know  just  what  is  best  for  us  to  do." 

Fred  brought  out  two  coils  of  half-inch  fiber  rope  that 
had  been  made  at  odd  times.  It  was  very  tough  and 
strong,  and  there  must  have  been  a  hundred  yards  in  the 
coil ;  that  is,  each  one  contained  about  fifty  yards.  Fred 
let  his  friend  take  one  coil,  and  they  then  proceeded  to- 
ward the  cliflFs  to  intercept  the  wreckage. 

Quite  a  fresh  breeze  was  blowing,  but  the  sea  was  not 
much  agitated  as  wind  and  current  were  in  harmony; 
both  were  moving  in  the  same  direction. 

Before  the  castaways  got  to  the  clifTs  Fred  espied  his 


FREDERICK    YOUNG,  175 

mast;  it  had  moved  to  a  point  west  of  the  rocks,  and  it 
would  shortly  be  abreast  of  Harlem  Reef. 

"It  is  farther  off  shore  than  when  I  first  saw  it,"  said 
Fred. 

"It  is  surely  fifteen  rods  from  the  beach  at  the  present 
time,"  rejoined  the  scientist,  standing  with  folded  arms. 

They  had  deposited  the  rope  on  the  pebbly  strand. 

"Do  you  think  it  will  go  ashore  on  the  reef?"  asked 
Fred. 

"I  should  judge  not,  but  it  will  come  very  near  our 
coral  breakwater,  and  it  will  move  very  slowly  until  it 
doubles  the  reef.  The  current  will  keep  it  off  shore,  and 
after  passing  the  point  it  will  work  to  the  northr-west, 
and  if  we  do  not  detain  it  there  the  mast  will  soon  be 
miles  away." 

"We  will  stop  it,  and  the  point  of  Harlem  Reef  will  be 
the  proper  place  to  work." 

"Exactly,  and  let  us  hasten  there  without  further  de- 
lay." 

Fifteen  minutes  later  they  were  on  the  extreme  point 
awaiting  the  advent  of  the  mast.  They  had  swum  the 
breaks  in  the  reef,  and  they  were  prepared  to  capture  the 
wanderer.  They  had  but  a  little  while  to  wait,  for  the  mast 
soon  came  and  Mr.  Ellsworth's  prediction  came  true,  for 
the  stick  was  not  over  six  rods  from  the  point.  Fred 
now  tied  the  coils  together;  stripped  off  his  clothes,  tied 
one  end  of  the  rope  about  his  waist  and  plunged  into  the 
sea.  He  swam  with  little  exertion  and  Mr.  Ellsworth 
paid  out  the  rope  as  it  was  needed.  Fred  soon  reached 
the  mast  and  made  the  rope  secure  to  the  cross-tree.  He 
then  climbed  on  top  and  rested  a  minute  before  returning 
to  the  reef.  When  he  arrived  at  the  point  the  scientist 
had  drawn  the  rope  taut.  The  mast  was  just  abreast  of 
them  at  that  time.  Fred  now  assisted,  and  their  united 
strength,  gently  but  firmly  applied,  overcame  the  force 
of  the  current,  and  the  mast  slowly  turned  the  point  and 
headed  into  Coral  Bay. 


176  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

In  a  few  minutes  they  were  walking  shoreward,  and  the 
wreckage  was  gradually  progressing  toward  the  cabin. 
As  the  water  was  comparatively  calm  and  entirely  free 
from  refractory  currents  within  the  bay,  the  castaways 
easily  beached  the  mast  directly  in  front  of  their  domicile. 
They  noticed,  however,  that  the  wreckage  did  not  move 
so  easily  as  it  came  into  shallow  water,  and  when  they  got 
it  ashore  the  cause  became  apparent.  The  back-stays 
were  of  large,  galvanized  wire  rope,  and  the  ends  had  been 
dragging  on  bottom.  Of  course  when  the  mast  was 
floating  in  deep  water  these  stays  did  not  touch  bottom, 
and  consequently  they  did  not  retard  the  motion. 

The  mast  had  evidently  been  in  the  water  some  time,  as 
in  places  it  was  encrusted  with  barnacles,  and  sea-weed 
had  become  attached  to  it  in  large  masses.  There  was 
now  no  doubt  but  that  it  had  been  broken  off,  as  the  bot- 
tom was  a  mass  of  jagged  splinters. 

The  castaways  carefully  examined  their  prize  and  found 
that  quite  a  quantity  of  rope  of  various  sizes  was  attached, 
also  much  iron-work  around  the  cross-trees,  including 
some  very  large  bolts  with  nuts  four  inches  across,  nails, 
screws  and  several  tackle  blocks,  but  no  canvas. 

Mr.  Ellsworth  carefully  examined  the  back-stays  and  he 
noticed  that  the  wire  of  which  they  were  composed  was 
larger  than  telegraph  wire.  He  also  paid  considerable 
attention  to  the  large  bolts. 

"Fred,"  he  finally  said,  "we  have  got  over  ^  hundred 
feet  of  this  wire  rope,  and  it  may  be  of  great  service  to 
us  by  and  by." 

"I  cannot  imagine  to  what  use  we  can  put  it,"  said 
Fred. 

"We  will  wait  a  little  while  and  see,"  simply  said  the 
scientist. 

After  this  episode  the  castaways  watched  the  shore  and 
the  sea  for  several  days,  but  no  more  wreckage  drifted 
to  the  island.  They  finally  decided  that  the  mast  was  all 
that  had  been  lost  by  the  ship  and  gave  up  the  search. 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  177 

On  May  2,  1882,  the  second  remarkable  event  trans- 
pired on  Empire  Island.  It  was  about  11  o'clock  in  the 
forenoon.  Mr.  Ellsworth  was  cleaning  some  fish  and 
preparing  crustaceans  for  the  mid-day  meal,  while  Fred 
was  arranging  the  fire  to  cook  the  freshly  caught  deni- 
zens of  the  deep.  The  scientist  happened  to  see  a  large 
sea-bird  skimming  over  Coral  Bay ;  he  paused  a  moment 
in  his  work  to  watch  the  graceful  evolutions  of  the  bird, 
when  another  object  met  his  astonished  gaze,  apparently 
just  over  the  bird's  back,  but  in  reality  many  miles  be- 
yond. 

Mr.  Ellsworth  jumped  to  his  feet  and  an  involuntary 
ejaculation  of  surprise  escaped  him,  as  he  recognized  the 
top-sails  of  a  three-masted  ship  under  full  sail.  She  was 
heading  north-east;  running  nearly  parallel  with  the 
coast;  her  hull  and  the  lower  parts  of  her  sails  were 
below  the  horizon.  Unless  her  attention  was  attracted 
to  the  island  she  would  be  out  of  sight  within  an  hour 
if  she  held  her  present  course. 

Fred  was  immediately  attracted  by  the  scientist's  ex- 
citement, and  upon  inquiring  the  cause  thereof,  the  old 
gentleman  pointed  at  the  distant  ship. 

Fred  saw  it,  and  said  in  an  excited  tone: 

"What  shall  we  do  to  bring  her  to  our  assistance?" 

"Set  fire  to  our  wood-pile;  heap  on  leaves,  seaweed, 
green  grass,  or  anything  else  that  will  make  a  dense 
smoke,"  returned  the  scientist,  in  a  calm  and  steady  voice. 

They  were  both  excited  and  their  steps  were  rapid  as 
they  commenced  to  carry  out  the  only  project  that  they 
considered  feasible  at  the  time. 

A  large  pile  of  dead  wood  had  been  collected  near  the 
cabin;  it  had  been  gradually  added  to  for  the  past  year, 
and  at  this  time  it  must  have  contained  two  or  three 
cords. 

Fred  ran  to  the  edge  of  a  neighboring  forest  with  a 
large  home-woven  basket,  and  shortly  returned  with  a 
bushel  or  more  of  dry,  dead  leaves.     These  were  crowded 


178  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

under  one  side  of  the  pile  and  a  blazing  fagot  from  the 
fire  ignited  them.  Twigs  were  tucked  in  on  top  of  the 
burning  leaves,  and  the  whole  pile  was  soon  a  roaring 
mass  of  flames. 

While  Fred  was  thus  engaged  Mr.  Ellsworth  was  no 
less  industrious.  The  scientist  had  collected  a  goodly 
quantity  of  green  grass  and  leaves,  and  also  a  basket 
of  rock-weed,  wtiich  grew  abundantly  around  the  bay. 
This  material  was  thrown  on  the  big  fire  and  it  had  the 
desired  effect,  for  a  column  of  dense,  murky  smoke  arose 
several  hundred  feet  into  the  air.  Green  stuff  was  con- 
stantly added  until  the  commingled  smoke  and  steam 
seemed  to  have  reached  an  altitude  greater  than  that  of 
Mount  Ellsworth,  but  the  ship  kept  steadily  on  her 
course.  Was  it  possible  that  they  did  not  see  the  smoke, 
or  the  imposing  mountain  peak?  They  must  have  seen 
both,  but  they,  no  doubt,  thought  that  the  smoke  came 
from  some  low  volcano  or  a  savage's  camp-fire.  At 
any  rate  the  ship  did  not  change  her  course,  and  in  two 
hours  after  being  sighted  she  disappeared  from  view 
below  the  north-eastern  horizon. 

Cruel  fate!  Poor  castaways!  The  first  ship  they  had 
seen  for  fourteen  months  had  ruthlessly  passed  them  by; 
the  signal  on  the  mountain;  the  efforts  just  made  to  at- 
tract the  ship  to  them,  had  both  been  of  no  avail.  Mr. 
Ellsworth  and  Fred  felt  heart-broken.  Their  momentary 
hopes  had  been  unfeelingly  shattered.  They  had  lost  all 
appetite  for  the  freshly  caught  fish  and  the  newly  gath- 
ered fruit  which  they  were,  but  two  short  hours  before, 
preparing  in  anticipation  of  an  appetizing  repast. 

It  took  some  time  for  the  castaways  to  get  over  the 
shock  occasioned  by  the  failure  to  attract  the  attention  of 
the  vessel. 

"Mr.  Ellsworth,  something  must  be  done!  We  have 
been  here,  utterly  deserted  by  the  outer  world,  for  over 
a  year.  Now  a  ship  appears ;  she  could  easily  have  seen 
what  we  have  tlioug'ht  was  an  island  unknown  to  naviga- 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  179 

tors,  but  she  unconcernedly  kept  her  course  and  she  is 
now  beyond  our  reach.  We  may  stay  here  another  year, 
and  even  longer,  before  we  see  a  second  ship,  and  if  one 
does  appear  in  the  future,  it  may  completely  ignore  us, 
as  this  one  has  done.  This  lesson  should  spur  us  on  to 
renewed  activities.  Cannot  you  devise  some  means 
whereby  we  may  be  enabled  to  leave  this  lonely  island?" 
said  Fred  in  an  earnest  tone. 

"Fred,  I  have  been  trying  to  evolve  that  subject  in  my 
mind  for  some  time,  and  the  events  of  this  day  have  given 
my  plans  a  fresh  impetus.  We  will  build  a  boat  large 
enough  to  reach  some  of  the  inhabited  islands,  which  are 
not  a  great  way  from  us." 

"But,  Mr.  Ellsworth,  we  only  have  a  hatc'het,  two 
pocket-knives,  and  a  marhn-spike  to  work  with." 

"True,  but  we  will  improvise  some  more  tools  before 
commencing  on  our  boat.  I  have  removed  the  four  large 
nuts  from  the  cross-tree  on  the  mast.  We  will  make 
some  hard-wood  handles;  screw  them  firmly  into  these 
nuts,  and  we  will  then  be  the  possessors  of  some  quite 
serviceable  hammers.  Then  I  have  removed  six  steel 
bars  from  the  cross-tree.  These  bars  are  eighteen  inches 
long  and  three-fourths  of  an  inch  in  diameter.  I  shall 
make  a  number  of  ordinary  chisels  by  breaking  these 
bars  into  three  equal  parts,  heating  one  end  of  the  pieces 
red;  pounding  the  heated  part  flat,  and  then  tempering 
it  to  the  desired  degree  of  hardness.  These  can  then 
be  ground  sharp  and  fitted  into  handles.  We  have  plenty 
of  indurated  sandstone  for  sharpening  purposes,  and  there 
is  no  lack  of  suitable  hard  wood.  I  shall  also  make  cold- 
chisels  for  cutting  iron,  and  perhaps  some  other  tools 
that  we  may  need." 

"It  certainly  seems  easy  enough,  so  far  as  you  have 
told  me,  but  how  will  you  work  out  all  the  planks  and 
timbers  that  will  be  required  to  build  a  large  boat,  and 
how  will  you  fasten  the  parts  together?"  inquired  Fred 
rather  skeptically. 


180  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

"We  will  hew  out  our  timbers  from  hard  wood,  and  the 
planking  from  those  evergreen  trees  which  split  and  work 
so  easily.  That  wood  is  tough  and  light,  and,  conse- 
quently, perfectly  adapted  to  our  purpose.  We  will  spHt 
the  tree  butts  at  the  center  and  then  hew  one  plank  out  of 
each  half.  It  will  be  slow  work,  but  we  will  not  require 
a  great  many  planks,  and  by  working  steadily  the  desired 
number  will  soon  be  at  our  disposal.  The  woodwork 
does  not  trouble  me,  all  we  require  i;re  time,  patience  and 
some  ingenuity  to  get  that  out.  Now  you  want  to  know 
how  we  shall  fasten  the  parts  together.  Well,  from  the 
mast  we  will  get  several  bolts,  screws,  nails,  and  an  abund- 
ance of  wire  rope,  whidh,  when  unstranded,  will  furnish  us 
with  plenty  of  large,  tough,  malleable  iron  wire.  This 
wire  cut  into  short  pieces,  perhaps  three  inches  long, 
with  our  cold-chisels,  will  make  very  good  rivets  to 
fasten  our  planking  to  the  ribs.  We  can  form  crude 
heads,  or  simply  bend  one  end  of  the  wire  on  itself,  and 
then  clinch  the  wire  on  the  inside.  These  wire  nails  can, 
no  doubt,  be  forced  through  the  soft  planking  with  very 
little  trouble;  it  will  be  difificult  to  drive  them  through 
the  hardwood  ribs ;  but  we  can  manufacture  awls  or  bits 
to  puncture  the  ribs,  and  then  we  can  drive  the  wire 
through  them  very  easily." 

"If  the  awls  or  bits  do  not  prove  successful,  we  can  heat 
wires  and  bum  holes  for  the  rivets,"  said  Fred. 

"Certainly,  we  will  manage  all  of  those  little  things 
without  very  much  trouble,  I  think." 

The  castaways  spent  some  time  in  designing  their  boat. 
Both  assisted  in  planning  it.  Stability  was  considered 
of  more  importance  than  speed,  therefore,  it  was  designed 
to  be  rather  wide  in  proportion  to  its  length,  and  as  strong 
as  they  could  possibly  build  it.  When  this  work  was  dis- 
posed of,  and  all  the  dimensions  were  known,  the  casta- 
ways were  ready  to  begin  what  would  seem  an  arduous 
task,  but  they  looked  forward  to  it  with  pleasure. 

On  the  morning  of  June  20th,  the  scientist  and  his  com- 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  181 

panion  set  out  for  the  forest,  up  Palm  River  near  the 
spring.  They  worked  all  day  felling  and  trimming  trees, 
and  selecting  and  procuring  suitable  pieces  of  timber  to 
construct  their  boat.  Sticks  were  carried  to  Coral  Bay, 
which  the  keel,  stem,  knees  and  braces  could  be  worked 
out  of,  and  the  following  day  thirty  tree  butts  were  floated 
down  the  river  and  bay  and  beached  at  the  base  of  the 
limestone  cliflfs  at  the  north-east  entrance  of  the  indenta- 
tion. When  all  the  timber  that  was  considered  necessary 
was  collected  at  the  boat-yard,  the  ribs  were  split  out, 
bent  and  properly  fastened  to  the  heavy  keel,  which  had 
been  hewed  out  with  much  labor;  and  then  the  castaways 
undertook  the  hardest  part  of  their  work.  They  began 
to  hew  and  split  planks  from  the  large  tree  butts,  and  with 
their  single  hatchet  the  work  did  not  progress  rapidly, 
but  they  manfully  kept  at  it,  and  the  boards  of  the  re- 
quired thickness  were  piled  up  one  by  one.  It  was  not 
many  days  before  they  had  enough  ready  to  begin  plank- 
ing their  boat. 

While  Fred  was  hewing  out  timber,  Mr.  Ellsworth 
made  his  chisels,  hammers,  some  drill-like  bits  of  soft  iron, 
which  w.as  not  quite  the  proper  thing,  but  they  worked 
very  well  when  used  carefully,  a  screw-driver  and  a  large 
quantity  of  wire  nails  with  fairly  well-formed  heads.  He 
also  obtained  many  bolts,  screws  and  spikes  from  the 
derelict  mast,  which  had  proved  a  great  blessing  to  these 
castaways.  They  might  have  devised  other  means  for 
prosecuting  this  line  of  work,  but  it  certainly  would  have 
been  much  more  difficult  and  laborious  than  their  present 
method. 

It  required  no  little  skill  to  work  out  the  planks  so  that 
they  would  bend  into  place  and  form  nice  joints,  and  it 
is  useless,  no  doubt,  to  tell  the  reader  that  at  times  the 
work  caused  much  vexation  and  even  discouragement. 
Fortunately  when  one  became  discouraged  the  other 
would  try  to  be  cheerful,  and  then  both  would  renew  their 
activities  and  apply  themselves  more  assiduously  than 


182  FREDERICK    YOUNG, 

before,  and  the  trouble  would  be  overcome.  It  aston- 
ished even  the  castaways  to  learn  what  their  pocket-knives 
could  accomplish  when  diligently  and  ingeniously  used. 
The  hammers  answered  every  purpose,  and  the  first  plank 
was  neatly  fitted  and  put  on  just  as  firmly  as  if  they  had 
possessed  the  most  approved  boat  nails  or  rivets.  They 
reasoned  that  what  could  be  done  with  one  plank  ought 
to  be  accomplished  with  the  others.  The  castaways  now 
hoped  for  success,  and  they  worked  day  after  day  cheered 
on  by  what  they  had  already  achieved. 

One  Sunday  the  conversation  of  the  castaways  again 
turned  on  science.  Fred  liked  to  hear  the  scientist  ex- 
pound his  ideas  on  the  various  scientific  problems  of  the 
day;  so  he  would  make  some  remarks  leading  up  to  the 
subject,  when  Mr.  Ellsworth  would  pick  up  the  thread, 
so  to  speak,  and  continue. 

"When  I  was  at  college,"  said  Fred,  "I  remember  some 
professor  of  geology — I  cannot  recall  his  name  now — 
gave  us  a  very  interesting  lecture  on  the  pre-glacial  in- 
habitants of  North  America.  Among  other  things  he 
stated  that  birds  originally  came  from  reptiles.  He  said 
that  nearly  a  complete  series  of  fossils,  representing  the 
modifications,  are  now  in  our  museums.  Specimens,  he 
said,  showing  the  transformation  of  scales  into  feathers, 
and  the  gradual  diminishing  of  the  fleshy  caudal  append- 
age into  the  long  tail  feathers  of  the  bird,  are  extant. 
Also  specimens  showing  the  horny  bill  with  rows  of  sharp, 
reptile-like  teeth,  which  in  later  years  completely  disap- 
peared, and  mandibles  devoid  of  teeth  were  the  result. 
He  further  stated  that  there  are  now  really  no  missing 
links  in  the  evidence  pertaining  to  avian  evolution." 

"That  is  all  true,  Fred,  and  one  of  our  most  eminent 
ornithologists  and  osteologists  recently  said  that  no  man 
of  ordinary  intelligence,  who  is  at  all  versed  in  the  his- 
tory of  our  avi-fauna,  will  dispute  that  our  living  species 
are  lineal  descendants  of  ancient  reptile-like  forms." 

"I  presume  the  scientists  are  correct,  but  it  is  strange 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  183 

and  it  seems  impossible  that  such  gentle  and  delicate  crea- 
tures as  some  of  our  birds  came  from  repulsive  reptiles," 
said  Fred. 

"It  does  seem  impossible,  Fred,  but  there  is  no  truer 
maxim  than;  'Truth  is  stranger  than  fiction.'  There 
used  to  be  a  time  when  I  could  rehsh  a  good,  spicy  novel, 
but  after  I  commenced  to  read  history  and  travel,  I  laid 
fiction  aside,  and  finally  those  subjects  were  superseded 
by  science.  Now  I  cannot  possibly  content  myself  with 
fiction,  unless  it  be  a  historical  or  scientific  work  wherein 
much  truth  is  incorporated  with  a  little  untruth.  Life 
is  short,  and  what  is  more  elevating  to  the  mind  than  a 
steady  accumulation  of  knowledge,  especially  when  that 
knowledge  is  directly  concerned  with  our  past,  present 
and  future  life;  the  origin  and  the  natural  laws  of  that 
matter  of  which  we  are  constituted,  and  of  what  every- 
thing around  us  is  composed?  Our  own  physical  beings, 
the  animated  organisms  around  us,  all  inert  bodies,  in- 
cluding the  earth  on  which  we  live,  the  remote  bodies 
which  we  see  moving  here  and  there  through  infinite 
space,  are  all  made  of  this  previously  mentioned  matter. 
Chemists  have  divided  it  into  sixty-three  independent 
substances  called  elements.  Some  of  these  may  yet 
prove  to  be  compounds,  and  new  elements  will,  no 
doubt,  yet  be  discovered.  This  matter  seems  to  be  uni- 
versal, and  when  we  learn  its  terrestrial  laws,  we  at  the 
same  time  learn  the  laws  of  those  substances  which  go 
to  make  up  the  celestial  bodies  that  are  so  distant  that 
the  comprehension  of  man  becomes  bewildered  when  he 
tries  to  consider  their  remoteness. 

"It  is  true  that  the  spectroscope  has  shown  a  few  lines, 
when  applied  to  orbs  exterior  to  the  solar  system,  that  are 
unlike  any  lines  that  can  be  derived  from  the  known  ele- 
ments, and  it  has  been  suggested  on  this  account  that 
many  elements  exist  in  the  universe  that  do  not  occur  on 


184  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

the  earth.  This  hypothesis  is  probably  true,  it  would  be 
strange  if  it  were  otherwise,  but  it  need  not  change  the 
axiom  propounded  by  Newton,  for  these  new  elements 
are  undoubtedly  governed  by  the  same  potent  magnetism, 
called  gravitation,  which  is  a  common  law  among  the 
known  substances. 

"When  geologists,"  continued  the  scientist,  "first  com- 
menced to  discover  and  study  the  organic  remains  in  the 
earth's  strata,  they  met  with  great  difficulty  in  surmount- 
ing the  barriers  erected  in  their  path  by  skeptics.  People 
then  held  the  idea  that  the  world  and  every  thing  on  it  had 
been  created  in  the  preceding  6,000  years,  consequently, 
when  these  geologists  advanced  their  theories  based  on 
geological  evidence  existing  beneath  the  earth's  surface, 
they  met  the  most  acrimonious  opposition.  What  the 
skeptics  claimed  had  taken  place  in  a  few  thousand  years, 
these  scientists  said  must  have  taken  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands if  not  millions  of  years  to  transpire.  Of  course  the 
geologists  were  sneered  and  jeered  at,  for  they  were  pro- 
mulgating a  new  supposition,  and  history  shows  that  this 
is  a  peculiarity  of  mankind;  when  a  new  idea  is  first 
started,  no  matter  how  valuable  and  truthful  it  is,  it  must 
be  fought  with  the  utmost  tenacity  by  a  certain  class  of 
mortals,  which  seem  to  inflict  all  ages  with  their  unintelli- 
gent presence. 

"In  the  case  under  consideration,  nature's  storehouse 
of  knowledge,  or  in  other  words  the  earth's  crust  contain- 
ing the  organic  remains  of  ages,  brought  forward  more 
evidence  than  the  great  objectors  could  assimilate  and 
argue  down ;  so  it  made  a  steady  gain  and  finally  secured 
a  firm  footing  on  human  intelligence,  and  it  has  been 
steadily  and  firmly  progressing  ever  since.  To-day  all 
our  more  eminent  scientists  accept  the  cogent  teachings 
as  a  matter  of  fact.  These  men  are  not  afraid  to  face  and 
believe  the  infallible  interpretations  of  nature's  great  stone 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  185 

book,  which  can  be  read  as  easily  by  those  versed  in  the 
science  as  a  book  fresh  from  the  pubHsher.  This  stone 
book  is  very  ancient  and  at  the  same  time  it  is  entirely 
free  from  superstitious  fancies.  The  geological  record 
is  going  on  to-day,  and  it  will  continue  until  the  earth 
becomes  devoid  of  air,  water,  and  consequently  life. 
Then  changes  will  almost  entirely  cease  to  occur,  for  rain 
Vfill  then  no  longer  fall  on  the  land,  and  molecules  from 
the  continents  will  no  longer  be  washed  into  the  sea. 
That  powerful  factor  of  disintegration — oxygen — will 
also  cease  to  exert  its  influence  on  the  surface  of  our 
globe.  The  only  changes  that  we  can  imagine  that  will 
take  place  at  that  time  will  be  those  caused  by  the  alterna- 
tions of  heat  and  cold.  That  is,  if  the  sun  has  not  by  that 
time  become  crusted  and  past  the  power  of  radiating 
light  and  heat.  If  it  has,  darkness  and  intense  cold  will 
reign  supreme.  If  we  doubt  that  the  earth  will  ever 
reach  this  stage  of  decline,  we  have  but  to  study  our  satel- 
lite through  a  good  telescope,  for  the  moon  is  an  ominous 
example  of  the  earth's  destiny." 

"There  is  one  consolation  for  us,"  said  Fred,  "and  that 
is  we  shall  never  see  that  day.  We  are  fortunate  in  not 
having  to  live  during  the  last  years  of  our  earth's  life." 

"We  need  not  worry  about  that  surely.  The  most  im- 
portant thing  for  us  to  think  of  now  is,  when  will  our 
boat  be  completed,  and  will  it  be  the  means  of  delivering 
us  from  our  present  solitary  existence?" 

"Those  are  difficult  questions  to  answer,"  said  Fred, 
reflectively,  "but  by  the  beginning  of  the  new  year,  by 
January  i,  1883,  we  ought,  if  nothing  befalls  us,  to  be 
ready  to  set  sail  from  Empire  Island." 

"We  ought  to  be  ready  by  that  time,  Fred,  but  it  is 
going  to  be  slow  and  tedious  work  planking  and  rigging 
the  boat.  The  sails  will  be  especially  slow  and  difficult 
to  plait  from  palm  leaves;  and  we  should  have  a  spare 


186  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

mainsail,  at  least,  for  we  may  meet  with  an  accident,  when 
another  sail  will  be  imperatively  necessary.  We  will  also 
need  a  large  quantity  of  rope,  an  anchor,  a  number  of 
large  earthen  jars  for  carrying  water,  and  an  abundance 
of  provisions." 

"Let  us  thank  God  that  we  are  able  to  provide  all  those 
things,"  said  Fred,  and  then  the  castaways  entered  their 
cabin  and  retired. 


FBEDEBICK   YOUNG.  187 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

SEABCHING      POLYNESIA. 

It  was  Friday,  and  late  in  the  afternoon,  when  the  Altair 
came  to  anchor  in  the  beautiful  harbor  at  Papeete,  Tahiti. 
Those  on  board  deemed  it  best  not  to  land  until  the 
morrow. 

After  supper  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  sat  on  deck  and 
talked  and  enjoyed  the  beautiful  effect  of  the  sunset 
behind  the  mountains  and  hills.  The  more  distant  ele- 
vations appeared  of  a  dark  smoky-blue  color,  while  the 
nearer  mountains  and  hills  were  of  a  greenish-blue  hue, 
and  they  were  sharply  defined  against  the  roseate  tinted 
sky.  The  magnificent  palms  which  were  plentiful  around 
the  town,  gently  waved  their  stately  heads  in  the  light  even- 
ing breeze.  The  beautifully  colored  sky  gradually  lost  its 
rich  tints,  and  became  dark;  the  brilliant  southern  stars 
shone  resplendently  in  the  firmament;  the  low-roofed 
houses  of  Papeete  faded  away  in  the  night,  but  their 
presence  was  made  manifest  by  the  scattering  lights  that 
appeared.  The  silhouettes  of  the  lofty  mountains  could 
now  be  dimly  discerned,  while  to  complete  the  effect  the 
sound  of  some  wild  but  harmonious  native  music  drifted 
over  the  water.  It  was  a  lovely  night,  and  the  peculiar 
surroundings,  which  were  decidedly  foreign  to  those  on 
the  yacht,  impressed  the  voyagers  strangely. 

Silence  ensued,  and  all  hands  mechanically  fell  to 
thinking  of  the  absent  son,  and  wondering  if  the  search 
was  to  be  rewarded  with  success. 

They  were  now  near  the  scene  of  the  disaster,  and  at 
the  point  for  which  they  thought  the  survivors  would 
have  been  likely  to  have  steered  their  boat.    Certainly 


188  FREDERICK   TOUNi}. 

a  thorough  search  ought  to  be  made  of  these  islands, 
and  the  more  easterly  groups. 

Next  morning,  which  was  November  19,  1881,  it  was 
clear  and  hot.  The  sun  appeared  above  the  horizon,  red 
and  fiery,  but  its  fierce  tropical  heat  was  soon  greatly 
mitigated  by  a  cool  breeze  which  blew  from  the  north- 
east. 

Mr.  Young  announced  that  all  who  wished,  among  the 
passengers,  could  go  ashore  after  breakfast.  The  tender 
was  attached  to  the  davit  tackle,  and  swung  over  the  rail 
and  then  gently  lowered  until  it  floated  on  the  surface  of 
the  water.  Steam  had  been  gotten  up  before  the  launch 
was  lowered,  so  the  handsome  little  steamer  was  ready 
for  immediate  service. 

At  8  o'clock,  local  time,  the  Youngs,  Stillmans  and 
Captain  Ashton  went  ashore.  The  Altair  was  left  in 
charge  of  the  first  mate,  in  whom  the  captain  had  implicit 
confidence.  The  party  soon  reached  the  beach,  and  they 
found  themselves  in  a  town  which  was  decidedly  French 
in  character,  and  the  majority  of  the  population  seemed 
to  be  of  that  nationality.  There  were  a  few  other  foreign- 
ers and  some  natives  in  the  village. 

Mr.  Young  at  once  sought  some  English-speaking 
people  and  made  known  the  object  of  his  visit,  and  one 
gentleman,  a  merchant,  became  deeply  interested,  and 
said  that  he  remembered  perfectly  well  when  the  Polynesia 
was  lost,  but  he  had  not  heard  that  any  of  her  passengers 
or  crew  had  ever  landed  on  Tahiti,  or  any  of  the  adjacent 
islands.  He  volunteered  to  search  out  several  persons 
who  would  be  likely  to  know  if  any  of  the  survivors,  or  any 
of  the  wreckage  from  the  lost  ship,  had  ever  come  ashore 
near  Papeete. 

Mr.  Young  gladly  accepted  his  services,  and  the  mer- 
chant found  the  persons  in  question,  and  made  the  in- 
quiries in  French.  None  of  these  gentlemen  had  heard 
of  any  one  or  any  thing  ever  straying  to  the  island  from 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  189 

the  wreck,  and  they  were  positive  that  they  would  have 
if  any  thing  from  the  lost  ship  had  come  to  Tahiti. 

After  making  numerous  inquiries  around  the  town  and 
feeling  sure  that  nothing  could  be  learned  there,  Mr. 
Young  made  arrangements  to  completely  explore  the 
coast  of  the  island,  which  was  quite  an  undertaking,  as 
Tahiti  is  thirty-five  miles  long,  and  it  has  120  miles  of 
sea-coast.  Fortunately  a  good  road  surrounds  the  entire 
island.  A  driver  and  guide  with  a  span  of  mules  attached 
to  a  strong,  low  cart,  capable  of  carrying  the  gentlemen 
of  the  party,  was  secured,  to  start  the  next  Monday 
morning. 

"This  excursion,"  said  Mr.  Young,  "may  occupy  sev- 
eral days,  and  it  will  necessarily  be  attended  with  no  small 
amount  of  tediousness  and  fatigue.  It  will  be  conducted 
under  a  fierce,  tropical  sun,  and  we  shall  make  many  stops 
to  inquire  of  the  natives  regarding  wreckage  or  strangers 
coming  ashore;  so,  I  think  the  ladies  had  better  remain 
on  the  yacht  while  we  are  away." 

"We  do  not  object  to  staying  here  a  few  days,  for  it  is 
a  delightful  place,"  said  Marion. 

"Be  very  careful  how  you  go  ashore;  do  not  think  of 
going  unless  you  have  a  gentleman  escort,  and  do  not 
allow  strangers  on  the  Altair"  admonished  Mr,  Stillman. 

"We  will  have  Prince  with  us,  and  his  superior  instinct 
is  capable  of  discriminating  between  good  and  bad  char- 
acters, so  we  will  trust  to  his  judgment,"  said  Constance, 
smiling. 

Monday  morning  came  clear  and  hot.  The  driver, 
who  was  a  Frenchman,  appeared  early  with  his  team. 
Mr.  Young,  Mr.  Stillman  and  Captain  Ashton  went 
ashore  with  their  baggage,  which  consisted  of  blankets, 
firearms,  camping  utensils,  canned  meats,  and  a  lot  of 
trinkets  to  trade  with,  or  to  give  to  the  natives. 

At  7  o'clock  the  party  started  amid  the  waving  of  hand- 
kerchiefs and  the  exchange  of  adieus.  They  were  very 
comfortable  on   the   two   seats   of  the  canvas-covered 


190  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

wagon,  which  protected  them  from  the  sun,  in  a  measure. 
The  mules  set  off  at  a  Uvely  gait  to  the  south,  along  the 
shore  road.  A  bend  in  its  course  soon  hid  the  harbor 
and  the  town  from  view. 

The  road  soon  grew  steep,  and  the  mules  came  to  a 
walk;  and  then  they  displayed  their  power  at  pulhng. 
They  were  sure  to  have  a  great  deal  of  hard  work  before 
the  trip  was  over,  for  this  volcanic  island  was  very  hilly 
and  rough. 

When  a  considerable  altitude  had  been  reached  a  beau- 
tiful view  of  the  surrounding  country  was  obtained.  A 
peculiarity  of  the  elevated  land  was  the  dense  banana 
thickets  which  grew  in  prolific  abundance,  and  the  wild 
fruit  was  to  be  seen  in  all  stages  of  growth.  Cocoanut, 
fan  and  cabbage  palms  grew  on  every  hand,  while  the 
peculiar  screw-pines  and  many  other  unique  vegetable 
forms  attracted  the  attention  of  the  travelers,  as  they 
whirled  along. 

They  made  a  stop  of  three  hours  in  the  hottest  part  of 
the  day,  and  rested  themselves  and  the  mules  under  a 
mass  of  acacia  trees,  whose  fern-like  leaves  and  elongMed 
clusters  of  flowers  furnished  an  abundance  of  shade.  The 
acacia  of  Australia  has  an  inhospitable  way  of  turning 
its  leaves  edgewise  to  the  sun,  and,  consequently  they 
afford  very  little  shade;  but  these  Tahitian  trees  did  not 
serve  our  travelers  in  that  manner.  It  was  comparatively 
cool  in  the  shade ;  and  the  party,  after  eating  their  lunch, 
stretched  themselves  on  the  luxuriant  growth  of  grass  and 
ferns  and  enjoyed  life  to  the  best  of  their  ability. 

The  mules  seemed  to  appreciate  the  situation,  and  they 
did  ample  justice  to  the  succulent  grass,  while  the  French 
driver  lay  on  his  back  and  he  was  soon  within  the  grasp 
of  Morpheus. 

Meanwhile  a  green  tree-lizard,  more  hideous  than  dan- 
gerous, performed  acrobatic  feats  overhead.  This  rep- 
tile was  probably  thirteen  inches  long,  and  during  his 
antics  he  incited  the  displeasure  of  a  long-tailed  parra- 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  191 

keet  and  a  fight  ensued.  The  lizard  did  not  relish  the 
ugly  claws  and  the  sharp  mandibles  of  his  antagonist,  and 
while  attempting  to  avoid  the  attack  he  missed  his  footing 
and  fell.  As  chance  would  have  it,  the  reptile  was  pre- 
cipitated on  the  face  of  the  sleeping  driver,  and  to  make 
a  bad  matter  worse  the  lizard  got  his  feet  entangled  in  the 
blouse  of  the  Frenchman,  and  a  comedy  followed.  The 
lizard  struggled;  the  Frenchman  screamed,  danced,  and 
tried  to  brush  the  horrid  reptile  off;  the  Americans 
laughed  imtil  their  sides  ached.  On  the  countenance  of 
the  driver  surprise,  fright  and  consternation  were  de- 
picted; and  the  forest  reverberated  with  his  mingled 
French  and  English  utterances.  The  author  of  the  ex- 
citement fell  off  the  driver's  blouse  and  scampered  away. 
The  Frenchman  then  turned  to  his  employers  with  a 
sickly  smile,  and  a  look  of  suspicion. 

"It  was  not  our  fault,  Pierre,"  said  Captain  Ashton, 
trying  to  restrain  his  mirth.  "The  lizard  fell  from  the 
tree  over  your  head  and  we  could  not  help  having  a  little 
laugh  at  your  expense." 

Pierre,  then  laughed  too,  as  he  recollected  how  comical 
it  must  have  been. 

At  2  o'clock  the  mules  were  again  hitched  up,  and  the 
party  reluctantly  left  the  refreshing  recesses  of  the  grove 
and  braved  the  fierce  solar  rays. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  the  party  came  to  the  first  typical 
Tahitian  village.  The  huts  were  low,  quite  long  and 
open  at  the  sides,  while  the  roofs  were  covered  with 
thatch.  Goats,  pigs,  and  hens  were  roving  around  at  will, 
while  the  numerous  naked  children  disappeared,  but  their 
places  were  taken  by  men  and  women,  who  flocked  around 
the  team  in  great  curiosity.  The  Frenchman  saluted 
the  natives,  but  he  drove  to  the  center  of  the  village  before 
stopping. 

These  Tahitians  were  representatives  of  the  true  Poly- 
nesian race.  The  women  were  quite  graceful  and  pretty; 
they  were,  as  a  rule,  small  in  proportion  to  the  men. 


192  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

The  skin  varied  from  light  olive  to  dark  brown;  the  wavy 
or  curly  hair,  and  the  large  expressive  eyes  were  black, 
or  nearly  so;  the  mouth  was  large  but  shapely,  and  it  was 
set  with  even  rows  of  white  teeth.  The  men  were  large 
and  well  formed.     Both  sexes  were  scantily  dressed. 

Men  and  women  of  good  birth  could  be  selected,  as  they 
were  tall,  fair,  and  often  noticeable  for  their  enormous 
corpulence.  Tattooing  was  practiced  to  a  large  extent, 
and  much  significance  was  attached  to  some  of  the  forms 
of  ornamentation. 

The  driver  spoke  to  the  chief,  and  Mr.  Young  made  the 
native  some  brilliant  presents,  which  he  valued  more 
(than  nice  and  costly  ones.  They  made  inquiries  con^ 
cerning  any  boats  or  wreckage  that  had  come  ashore 
dudng  the  last  year,  but  the  chief  could  give  them  no 
information. 
.  After  being  told  what  was  wanted,  the  chief  said: 

"Me  and  my  people  go  along  the  edge  of  the  sea  for 
many  miles.  No  little  boats  come;  no  strange  white 
man  come;  no  pieces  of  big  ship  come  for  long  while." 

This  reply  did  not  disappoint  the  travelers,  as  it  was  ex- 
pected. Tahiti  was  being  searched  because  the  expedi- 
tion came  there  first  for  information,  and  Mr.  Young  did 
not  want  to  have  to  retrace  his  steps.  If  Fred  or  any  trace 
of  him  was  found,  his  father  expected  it  would  be  on  some 
island  uninhabited  by  civilized  people. 

Pierre  had  previously  informed  the  gentlemen  of  his 
party  not  to  refuse  the  chief's  invitation  to  spend  the  night 
in  the  village  if  he  gave  them  one,  on  account  of  personal 
safety,  as  the  people  could  be  trusted.  Farther  on  some 
tribes  might  be  encountered  that  were  treacherous  and 
not  trustworthy. 

The  chief  did  proflfer  Mr.  Young  and  his  companions 
the  use  of  a  house  or  hut  for  the  night,  and  his  kind  offer 
was  thankfully  accepted,  and  they  spread  their  blankets 
there  that  night. 

The  chief  and  two  of  his  subordinates  spent  the  evening 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  193 

with  their  guests,  and  the  natives  brought  in  an  abun- 
dance of  food,  consisting  of  turtle,  fish,  Chinese  bananas, 
bread-fruit,  taro,  poi,  and  a  narcotic  drink  called  kava, 
which  was  made  of  some  kind  of  pepper  root.  They  par- 
took of  this  drink  very  sparingly. 

The  night  dragged  away  quite  slowly  to  the  Americans, 
for  unbroken  rest  was  out  of  the  question.  It  seemed 
to  them  that  dogs  were  barking  and  howling  continuously 
through  the  hours  of  darkness,  and  before  the  first  rays 
of  light  had  appeared  in  the  eastern  sky  the  cocks  tried 
to  outdo  each  other  in  vociferous  and  discordant  rivalry. 

That  morning  breakfast  was  eaten  early,  the  mules  were 
harnessed  to  the  wagon,  and  after  bidding  their  native 
friends  good-bye  and  making  a  few  more  presents  among 
them,  the  party  proceeded  on  the  journey.  As  the  team 
passed  out  of  the  village  the  orb  of  day  made  its  appear- 
ance.       ♦ 

That  day  and  the  succeeding  one  passed  oflF  without 
anything  of  note  occurring,  but  on  the  fourth  day  out, 
which  was  Friday,  their  first  difficulty  was  encountered. 
It  was  about  two  hours  before  sunset,  when  they  met  a 
party  of  natives  who  were  very  impertinent  in  their  re- 
quests for  presents.  No  attention  was  paid  to  them  and 
they  made  many  threats,  and  stood  in  the  road  and 
watched  the  team  until  it  passed  out  of  sight. 

"We  must  keep  watch  for  those  fellows;  we  have  not 
seen  the  last  of  them  yet,"  said  Pierre. 

"They  had  better  let  us  alone,  unless  they  want  to  learn 
how  a  repeating  rifle  works,"  said  the  captain. 

"We  do  not  want  to  hurt  them ;  I  want  to  avert  all  the 
trouble  possible  during  the  search,"  interposed  Mr. 
Young. 

"I  think  we  have  seen  the  last  of  them/'  Mr.  Stillman 
said. 

"Monsieur  is  mistaken.  These  natives  are  very  re- 
vengeful," said  the  driver. 

Nothing  more  was  seen  of  the  natives  during  the  after- 


194  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

noon  and  the  little  episode  was  nearly  forgotten  by  night. 
Camp  was  made  that  evening  among  a  large  group  of 
palms  near  the  ocean  beach,  but  on  high  land.  A  watch 
was  kept  all  night  as  was  the  custom.  The  mules  were 
tethered  out  about  two  rods  from  the  wagon  in  which 
the  travelers  slept.  The  sky  was  overcast;  the  night 
gloomy,  and  the  wind  sighed  and  rattled  the  big  palm 
leaves  overhead.  Mr.  Stillman  had  the  first  watch  and 
Captain  Ashton  the  second. 

It  was  about  2  o'clock  in  the  morning  that  the  cap- 
tain heard  the  mules  making  more  noise  than  common; 
he  walked  toward  them  but  he  could  see  nothing  at  first, 
but  he  gradually  discerned  a  shadowy  form  just  beyond 
the  animals;  then  he  saw  a  second  form,  and  beyond  the 
two  several  more.  They  were  as  immovable  as  statues, 
but  he  had  no  doubt  that  they  were  natives,  and  that  they 
were  there  for  no  good  purpose.  He  was  in  a  quandary ; 
if  he  went  to  the  wagon  to  awake  his  companions  the 
natives  might  run  oflf  the  animals  before  anything  could 
be  done  to  prevent  the  theft;  if  he  made  an  outcry,  the 
natives  might  spring  upon  him  and  do  him  harm.  He, 
after  a  second's  thought,  determined  to  stand  his  ground, 
discharge  his  revolver  to  intimidate  his  foes,  and  at  the 
same  time  give  warning  to  his  slumbering  friends.  He 
immediately  grasped  a  revolver  in  each  hand,  and  dis- 
charged the  one  in  his  left  into  the  air,  then  he  changed 
his  position,  and  it  was  lucky  that  he  did,  for  several 
spears  whizzed  over  the  spot  that  he  had  just  vacated. 

The  men  in  the  wagon  tumbled  rather  than  jumped  out, 
while  the  natives  beat  a  hasty  retreat,  and  Captain  Ashton 
sent  a  round  of  leaden  pellets  after  the  dusky  forms  to 
teach  them  a  lesson. 

At  this  juncture  Mr.  Young,  Mr.  Stillman  and  the 
Frenchman  appeared  on  the  scene,  with  their  rifles  held 
in  readiness  for  immediate  action. 

The  captain  informed  them  that  the  fun  was  over,  but 
that  they  came  very  near  losing  the  mules. 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  195 

To  guard  against  another  attempt  to  steal  the  animals, 
they  were  fastened  to  the  wagon.  The  travelers,  after 
this  incident,  did  not  feel  like  sleeping  so  they  sat  up  and 
smoked,  with  the  exception  of  Captain  Ashton,  who 
stood  leaning  on  one  of  the  wheels  with  his  Win- 
chester rifle  near  by.  He  was  narrating  the  events 
which  had  just  occurred,  in  detail,  when  he  was 
interrupted  by  a  sharp  flash  in  the  forest  some  ten  rods 
away,  which  was  followed  by  the  crack  of  a  rifle.  He 
instantly  felt  a  burning  sensation  on  his  right  arm;  the 
ball  had  just  grazed  the  flesh  and  caused  a  slight  wound. 
He  saw  where  the  would-be  assassin  had  fired  the  shot 
from,  and  with  remarkable  promptitude  his  rifle  came  to 
his  shoulder  and  eleven  balls  were  sent  into  the  forest, 
at  that  point  where  the  shot  had  been  fired,  in  as  many 
seconds.  When  the  echoes  of  the  detonations  had  died 
away,  a  crashing  and  cracking  in  the  woods  showed  that 
the  natives  had  been  routed,  and  that  they  were  making 
tracks  for  a  harbor  of  safety.  They  evidently  did  not 
appreciate  the  good  qualities  of  a  repeating  rifle. 

"There,"  said  the  captain,  "I  do  not  believe  those  na- 
tives will  trouble  us  again  to-night,  but  I  would  put  out 
the  fire  at  any  rate,  for  they  may  be  aggressive  enough 
to  take  us  for  a  target  again." 

The  Frenchman  immediately  smothered  the  burning 
embers  by  throwing  dirt  on  them,  and  darkness  threw  its 
protecting  mantle  around  the  camp. 

"Are  you  hurt?"  inquired  Mr.  Stillman  as  he  saw 
Captain  Ashton  remove  his  coat,  roll  up  his  shirt  sleeve 
and  feel  of  his  arm. 

"The  ball  from  that  confounded  negro's  rifle  just  grazed 
the  flesh,  and  it  burns  like  fire,  but  I  ought  to  be  thankful 
that  it  did  not  do  me  any  more  injury,"  returned  the 
captain. 

"It  was  a  narrow  escape,"  said  Mr.  Young.  "We 
know  now  what  Pierre  said  was  true.  That  we  had  not 
seen  the  last  of  the  natives." 


196  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

Daylight  soon  came  and  nothing  more  was  heard  from 
the  savages.  The  provisions  were  getting  rather  low, 
so  Captain  Ashton  and  Mr.  Stillman  went  in  search  of 
something  in  the  form  of  eatables,  and  they  found  more 
than  they  bargained  for.  Hogs  are  not  indigenous  to 
Tahiti,  but  they  were  introduced  by  the  early  settlers,  and 
are  now  found  wild  in  the  unsettled  districts.  The  two 
hunters  came  in  contact  with  a  drove  of  these  uncouth- 
appearing  animals.  The  old  boars,  with  long,  curved 
tusks  and  a  row  of  coarse,  elect  bristles  on  their  backs, 
grunted  and  charged.  The  purveyors  were  completely 
taken  by  surprise,  and  they  just  had  time  to  catch  some 
low  horizontal  branches,  and  pull  themselves  up  into  a 
tree  as  the  ferocious  boars  dashed  under  their  feet.  Mr. 
Stillman  in  his  haste  dropped  his  double-barreled  shot- 
gun, but  the  captain  managed  to  retain  his  Winchester, 
and  he  at  once  prepared  to  disperse  the  inhospitable 
drove  of  quadrupeds,  which  consisted  of  about  twenty 
individuals.  The  boars  after  their  unsuccessful  charge, 
turned  and  gazed  up  at  their  victims  with  their  vindictive 
little  eyes,  and  grunted  to  each  other  in  disgust.  It  was 
certainly  a  ludicrous  position  for  the  hunters,  but  matters 
were  destined  to  be  expeditiously  reversed. 

"Shoot  that  big,  fat  sow  first,  captain,  for  we  can  get 
some  good  fresh  pork  from  her.  The  flesh  of  the  boars 
is  strong  and  unfit  for  food,"  said  Mr.  Stillman. 

"All  right,  Allen,  but  I  may  have  to  shoot  the  whole 
of  them  before  we  can  get  down,"  returned  the  captain, 
as  he  took  a  snap  shot  at  the  sow. 

The  bullet  took  effect  just  back  of  her  shoulder  and  she 
fell — to  rise  no  more.  The  report  seemed  to  daze  the 
pigs  for  a  second,  then  they  grunted  in  unison,  and  the 
boars  renewed  the  attack  by  trying  to  fell  the  tree  in  which 
the  men  were  perched,  but  this  was  too  great  a  task  for 
their  tusks  and  incisors.  However,  they  made  the  bark 
fly  from  the  butt,  and  if  sufficient  time  had  been  theirs, 


V REDE  RICK    YOUNG.  197 

the  tree  might  have  been  laid  low  by  the  infuriated  ani- 
mals. 

Next  the  captain  turned  his  repeater  on  the  boars,  and 
the  forest  resounded  with  the  rapid  reports,  and  the 
squeals  of  the  wounded  and  dying  hogs.  The  boars  were 
soon  no  more  on  this  earth,  so  to  speak,  and  the  younger 
members  of  the  drove  and  the  old  sows  were  rapidly  fall- 
ing under  the  captain's  skillful  manipulation  of  the  deadly 
Winchester,  when  the  remaining  animals,  realized  that  they 
were  being  worsted,  and,  consequently,  they  beat  a  hasty 
and  precipitate  retreat.  They  were  soon  out  of  sight 
and  hearing  in  the  dense  undergrowth.  The  sense  of 
triumph  in  these  fatuous  beasts  had  been  but  a  fugacious 
pleasure,  for  the  majority  of  them  were  now  lying  beneath 
the  umbrageous  trees  in  the  quiescence  of  death. 

Mr.  Stillman  and  the  captain  lowered  themselves  to 
the  ground,  and  they  found  that  thirteen  hogs  had  been 
killed.  Modern  invention,  as  usual,  was  too  much  for 
brute  force.  The  hunters  cut  several  hams  from  their 
game,  and  other  parts  that  were  particularly  desirable 
for  food,  and  returned  to  camp  with  an  abundance  of 
meat. 

The  breakfast  that  morning  consisted  of  fried  fresh 
pork,  baked  yams  and  breadfruit.  These  were  eaten  with 
much  gusto,  as  the  travelers  had  excellent  appetites; 
caused  by  their  exercise  and  constant  exposure  in  air 
heavily  charged  with  oxygen, 

■  The  journey  was  resumed  after  breakfast,  and  nothing 
of  note  occurred  during  the  day.  Nothing  was  seen  or 
heard  of  the  natives  that  had  troubled  the  camp  during 
the  night.  Beautiful  scenes  were  constantly  exposed  to 
view;  they  were  combinations  of  smoky-blue  mountain 
peaks,  hills  and  bluflFs,  deep  and  wild  valleys,  splashing 
or  roaring  waterfalls,  the  prolific  tropical  vegetation 
which  clothed  the  island  in  perpetual  verdure,  the  coral- 
bound  shores  and  the  cobalt  sea.  The  forests  were  beau- 
tifully draped  and  hung  with  parasites  and  moss  forms. 


198  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

birds  of  brilliant  hues,  but  with  discordant  notes,  were 
seen  in  great  profusion,  and  the  captain  obtained  many 
fine  specimens. 

Inquiries  were  made  at  every  village  along  the  route 
and  a  sharp  lookout  was  maintained  for  any  sign  of 
wreckage  on  the  beach.  Everything  went  to  show  that 
the  second  boat  from  the  shipwrecked  steamship,  Poly- 
nesia, did  not  land  on  Tahiti. 

Sunday,  November  27th,  was  spent  with  one  of  the 
district  chiefs,  in  a  village  on  the  north  coast.  This 
island  is  divided  into  eighteen  districts,  and  each  is  under 
a  chief  and  a  municipal  council  of  which  he  is  president. 

That  afternoon  the  villagers  treated  the  party  to  a  per- 
formance in  surf  bathing.  Both  sexes  indulged  in  the 
sport,  and  they  were  very  dexterous  and  graceful  in  the 
water.  Some  would  swim  out  a  half  mile  and  ride  back 
on  the  crest  of  a  large  breaker  at  a  rapid  rate  of  speed; 
often  standing  and  performing  marvelous  feats  on  their 
plank. 

The  next  afternoon  the  party  arrived  at  Papeete,  having 
occupied  over  a  week  on  their  journey  around  the  coast. 
Much  joy  was  manifested  by  the  ladies  at  the  safe  return 
of  the  expedition. 

"I  am  not  disappointed,  Mr.  Young,  to  hear  that  no 
news  of  Fred  or  the  second  boat  has  been  obtained,"  said 
Marion.  "If  Fred  is  ever  found  it  will  be  on  some  isolated 
island,  where  communication  with  the  outer  world  is  im- 
possible." 

Nearly  everyone  on  the  Altair  had  the  same  opinion, 
for  if  Fred  had  been  landed  on  an  inhabited  island  he 
would  have  communicated  with  his  parents,  or  arrived 
in  New  York  before  then. 

That  evening  the  future  actions  of  the  yacht  were  dis- 
cussed in  detail.  The  whole  party  sat  in  the  luxuriously 
appointed  saloon  and  planned  the  course  to  be  followed 
after  leaving  Tahiti,     They  held  diverse  opinions. 

Mr.  Stillman  said :  "I  am  in  favor  of  searching  the  Low 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  199 

Archipelago  first,  and  I  should  commence  to  the  extreme 
south-east  taking  Ducie,  Elizabeth  and  Pitcairn's  islands 
in  turn.  These  islets,  I  think,  were  as  near  the  spot  where 
the  Polynesia  was  lost  as  any  in  the  Pacific." 

"Is  not  Guardian  Island  nearer?"  asked  Constance. 

"Possibly,  but  it  is  east  of  the  point  in  question,  and  I 
am  sure  that  the  life-boat  would  make  to  the  south  or 
west,"  returned  Mr.  Stillman. 

Mr.  Young  and  Captain  Ashton  acknowledged  the 
soundness  of  Mr,  Stillman's  ideas,  but  at  the  same  time 
they  argued  that  it  would  not  take  long  to  search  the 
whole  group,  and  if  they  went  back  it  would  merely  be  a 
waste  of  valuable  time. 

"But,"  interposed  Constance,  "Fred  may  be  in  such  a 
strait  that  a  difference  of  a  few  weeks  or  months  may  be 
the  means  of  sparing  his  life." 

"My  dear  Constance,  we  all  want  to  find  Fred  as  badly 
as  yourself,  and  we  intend  to  do  all  that  lies  in  our  power 
to  accomplish  that  end;  but  suppose  we  should  retrace 
our  course  and  search  Ducie  Island  and  then  work  in  a 
north-westerly  direction,  and  after  all  Fred  should  be  on 
an  island  in  this  vicinity.  Even  then,  if  our  work  termi- 
nated successfully,  would  not  my  boy  have  remained  in 
solitude  longer  than  he  would  have  if  we  had  started  to 
search  the  Societies?"  said  Mr.  Young. 

"It  is  useless  to  be  contrary,  Constance;  you  must  go 
with  the  majority,"  remarked  Marion,  smiling. 

"I  presume  I  shall  go  with  the  Altair,  and  I  think  you 
will  do  likewise,  unless  you  prefer  remaining  at  Papeete/* 
retorted  Constance,  a  little  piqued. 

"I  am  with  the  majority  any  way,  but  I  do  not  expect 
to  go  with  the  yacht ;  I  would  rather  have  that  go  with 
me,"  Marion  added. 

"Well,"  said  Mr.  Young,  "let  us  consult  the  charts 
and  decide  what  island  we  shall  visit  next," 

Captain  Ashton  thereupon  spread  the  charts  out  on  the 
center  table,  and  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  drew  their 


200  FREDERICK    Y'OUNQ. 

chairs  up  and  gazed  on  the  thousands  of  coral  and  vol- 
canic islands  laid  down  on  the  planisphere  of  Polynesia. 
What  a  task  was  before  them;  to  prosecute  a  search  in 
such  a  labyrinth!     Could  they  possibly  hope  for  success? 

"I  would  suggest  that  we  search  Taquaimanu,  Mopelia, 
Scilly,  and  Belhnghausen  islands,  and  then  work  back 
through  the  northern  part  of  the  group,"  said  the  captain 
after  a  brief  reference. 

This  plan  seemed  to  be  the  best;  therefore,  it  was 
adopted.  The  Altair  was  to  sail  the  following  day  at 
noon. 

The  next  morning,  which  was  Tuesday,  November 
29th,  Mr.  Young  had  some  notices  printed  in  both  French 
and  English,  and  posted  in  conspicuous  places  through- 
out the  town.     They  read  as  follows: 

"$5,000  REWARD!  I 

"February  17,  1881,  the  steamship  Polynesia,  from  Mel- 
bourne, bound  for  Callao,  was  wrecked  at  sea  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  Low  Archipelago.  Frederick  Young,  of 
New  York,  U.  S.  A.,  was  one  of  the  passengers  on  her, 
and  he  has  not  been  heard  from  since  the  disaster 
occurred.  His  father  is  very  anxious  to  find  him  if  living, 
or  to  learn  his  fate  if  dead. 

"To  any  person  or  persons  that  will  furnish  information 
that  will  be  instrumental  in  finding  the  aforesaid  Fred- 
erick Young  if  living,  or  if  he  is  dead  they  will  establish 
that  fact  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  undersigned,  the  above 
reward  will  be  given. 

"The  steam  yacht,  Altair,  with  parents  and  friends  of 
the  person  for  whom  this  reward  is  offered,  on  board,  is 
now  engaged  in  searching  the  Society  Islands  and  the 
Low  Archipelago,  and  while  this  work  is  being  carried 
on,  the  yacht  will  return  to  Papeete  at  intervals  for  any 
information  that  may  be  had. 

"William  C.  Young. 
"Papeete,  Tahiti,  Nov.  29,  1881." 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  201 

As  Papeete  was  the  great  emporium  of  trade  in  this 
section  of  the  Pacific,  and  as  vessels  were  constantly 
arriving  from  and  departing  for  all  parts  of  Polynesia, 
Mr.  Young  confidently  expected  to  learn  something 
through  the  reward  offered.  Sailors  would  circulate  the 
fact  that  such  an  amount  had  been  offered,  and  ship's 
crews  would  be  constantly  on  the  alert  for  a  clue  to  the 
fate  of  the  second  life-boat.  Even  before  the  Altair  left 
the  harbor  crowds  had  gathered  where  the  notices  had 
been  posted,  and  gesticulated  and  talked  in  loud  tones 
among  themselves.  It  was  a  remarkable  event  to  have, 
what  they  considered,  a  fortune  offered  for  one  man. 
They  concluded  that  Mr.  Young  must  be  very  rich,  or  his 
lost  son  must  be  some  one  of  much  importance. 

At  midday  the  yacht  steamed  out  of  the  harbor  as  ar- 
ranged, and  nearly  the  whole  heterogeneous  population 
of  the  town  was  on  the  shores  and  quays  to  see  her  depart. 
The  notices  had  done  some  rapid  advertising,  and  every- 
body seemed  anxious  to  witness  the  departure  of  the 
Altair. 

A  great  deal  of  sympathy  was  manifested  for  the 
afflicted  parents  by  these  kindly  disposed  people.  The 
relation  which  Marion  bore  the  lost  son  fortunately  was 
unknown,  or  the  demonstrations  on  her  account  would 
have  been  more  pronounced. 

The  Altair,  after  she  had  cleared  the  harbor  and  island, 
was  headed  a  few  points  north  of  west,  and  before  night 
had  settled  over  the  broad  Pacific  the  dark-blue  peak  of 
Orohena  was  far  astern  and  below  the  eastern  horizon. 

This  was  a  difficult  and  dangerous  sea  to  navigate,  but 
Captain  Ashton  was  a  careful  and  thorough  seaman,  and 
his  crew  were  well  disciplined,  so  Mr.  Young  had  no  fear 
of  meeting  with  any  serious  mishap  while  the  present 
commander  was  on  board. 

That  part  of  the  Pacific  covered  with  the  multitudinous 
islands  of  Polynesia,  is,  when  possible,  avoided  by 
mariners. 


202  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

Polynesia  consists  of  350  basaltic,  290  coral  and  forty- 
mixed  continental,  volcanic  and  coral  islands.  All  stages 
may  be  met  with,  from  the  coral  reef  just  emerging  from 
the  blue  sea,  to  the  verdant  oasis  whose  age  is  beyond 
the  reckoning  of  the  terrestrial  inhabitants.  The  circular 
atolls  of  incomparable  beauty,  with  their  placid  central 
lagoons  and  palm  trees  waving  in  the  breeze,  may  be  met 
with  here  and  there.  Also  the  rugged  basaltic  cones, 
whose  acute  summits  have,  as  yet,  not  been  abraded  or 
disintegrated  to  any  considerable  extent.  These  irregu- 
lar mountains  are  often  divided  by  deep  gorges,  and  sur- 
rounded by  abrupt  precipices  over  which  torrents  reck- 
lessly dash  on  their  way  to  the  sea.  Vast  craters  still 
show  what  forces  were  at  work  in  the  past,  but  now  the 
active  peaks  are  very  few  compared  with  what  there  were 
in  the  long  ago.  At  a  distance  these  islets  look  like 
blue  cones  or  hummocks,  but  on  near  approach  they  arc 
sublime  with  their  luxuriant  verdant  loveliness  and 
rugged  grandeur.  Some  are  surrounded  with  almost 
impregnable  coral  ramparts  or  reefs,  against  which  the 
mighty  blue  billows  of  the  Pacific  have  been  dashing 
and  thundering  for  ages  without  destroying  their  con- 
centric lines. 

The  little  coral  insect  is  minute,  slow  and  short  lived, 
but  even  the  great  waves  of  a  mighty  ocean  are  unable 
to  destroy  its  work.  Many  are  the  hundreds  of  square 
miles  of  land  that  these  little  organisms  have  regained 
from  their  massive  foe,  for  their  superiors  to  inhabit  long 
after  the  makers  ceased  to  exist. 

The  next  afternoon  Maupiti,  or  Mau-rau,  the  most 
western  island  of  fHe  grouo.  was  reached. 

Mr.  Young  did  not  consider  It  advisable  to  land  on  all 
the  small  coral  islets,  so  he  gave  orders  for  the  yacht  to 
circle  around  each  one  at  a  sufficient  distance  to  clear  the 
encircling  and  dangerous  reefs.  The  twenty  pound 
brass,  breech-loading  cannon  which  was  mounted  for- 
ward, was  fired  at  intervals  while  making  the  circuit. 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  203 

This  not  only  startled  the  birds  and  natives,  but  it  would 
also  carry  bright  and  soul-stirring  hopes  to  castaways  if 
they  existed.  The  yacht  lingered  around  each  island 
treated  in  this  manner,  from  five  to  eight  hours,  so  if  any 
one  should  happen  to  be  involuntarily  detained  there,  he 
would  have  plenty  of  time  to  make  his  presence  known. 
During  this  time  several  powerful  achromatic  telescopes 
were  pointed  at  the  islets,  and  the  land  was  minutely  ex- 
amined by  careful  observers.  Constance  and  Marion  did 
their  share  of  this  work. 

In  this  way  the  weeks  slipped  rapidly  by,  and  one  fine 
morning  in  December  the  beautiful  atoll  called  Tetuara 
was  sighted.  The  yacht  came  to  anchor  about  half  a 
league  off  shore. 

The  searching  party  had  become  tired  of  staying  on 
shipboard  and  being  confined  to  the  narrow  limits  of 
the  deck.  One  can  become  tirea  of  a  thing,  no  matter 
how  agreeable  it  is  at  first;  and  it  was  so  with  the  people 
on  board  the  Altair.  The  sea  breezes  were  refreshing, 
the  many  panoramic  scenes  unfolded  to  their  view  would 
have  delighted  any  lover  of  nature ;  the  fishes  both  large 
and  small  that  were  pulled  out  of  the  sea  would  have 
pleased  the  palate  of  a  professional  epicure,  but  this 
morning  a  jaunt  on  mother  earth  was  the  one  thing  de- 
sired by  all,  even  if  that  land  was  decayed  drift,  accumu- 
lated on  a  coral  foundation. 

All  of  the  passengers,  together  with  four  sailors,  went 
ashore  in  the  launch. 

This  atoll  was  six  miles  long,  and  the  lagoon  could  be 
entered  by  a  narrow  passage. 

The  tender  steamed  directly  through  this  entrance 
into  the  enclosed  sea.  Many  sea-birds  were  on  the 
beach,  while  thousands  were  circling  overhead.  The 
sailors  set  about  filling  baskets  with  cocoanuts,  bread- 
fruit and  plantains. 

The  coral-lined  shore,  backed  by  tall,  graceful  palms, 
and  an  azure  hued  sky,  presented  an  entrancing  scene 


204  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

which  was  much  enjoyed,  especially  by  the  young  ladies. 
They  gathered  immaculate  specimens  of  coral  from  the 
coral-shrubbery  which  fringed  the  interior  beach;  shells 
of  unique  forms  and  resplendent  colors;  sea-anemones, 
crustaceans  and  echinodermes;  these  many  beautiful 
productions  were  too  numerous  to  carry  away,  and  too 
attractive  to  leave.  They  were  destined,  however,  to  be 
gradually  eroded  by  the  ceaseless  ebb  and  flow  of  the 
tides  and  the  action  of  the  weather,  and  by  alluvial  deposit, 
to  form  the  limestone  strata  of  future  geological  epochs. 
No  natives  were  seen  and  at  noon  the  party  returned 
to  the  Altair.  The  launch  was  well  loaded  with  curiosi- 
ties, fruit  and  edible  productions  of  the  sea. 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  205 


CHAPTER   XX. 

PRINCE    DEMONSTRATES    A    REMARKABLE    INSTINCT. 

The  atoll  was  completely  circumnavigated  during  the 
afternoon,  and  the  detonations  of  the  twenty-pounder 
aroused  a  tribe  of  natives  on  the  eastern  shore.  They 
ran  about  wildly  gesticulating,  bandishing  ugly-looking 
spears  and  tough  bark  shields,  and  appeared  as  if  they 
expected  an  immediate  attack.  The  glasses  failed  to 
reveal  the  presence  of  any  white  men,  but  this  did  not 
satisfy  Mr.  Young.  He  thought  that  they  might  be 
there,  but  held  prisoners  and  concealed  by  the  savages. 
The  reports  of  the  cannon  had  brought  natives  to  the 
shores  of  several  islands  so  far  during  the  search,  and  in 
each  instance  Mr.  Young  had  been  ashore  and  satisfied 
himself  that  the  one  whom  he  sought  was  not  there,  and 
that  no  information  was  to  be  obtained  relating  to  him. 

The  launch  was  again  lowered.  Mr.  Young,  the  cap- 
tain and  ten  sailors  embarked  in  her,  all  armed  with 
seventeen-shot  rifles,  but  these  were  concealed  in  the 
bottom  of  the  boat  so  as  not  to  alarm  the  natives.  A  lot 
of  notions  were  put  aboard,  as  was  the  custom,  to  obtain 
the  good-will  of  the  negroes.  At  last  all  was  ready  and 
the  launch  steamed  shoreward.  The  natives  held  their 
ground  until  the  boat  was  about  fifteen  yards  from  the 
beach,  then  they  could  stand  it  no  longer.  They  broke 
and  fled  in  precipitate  confusion.  The  detonations  of  the 
brass  cannon,  and  the  launch,  which  moved  rapidly 
through  the  water  without  any  visible  means  of  propul- 
sion, were  too  much  for  them. 

The  natives  had  fled  to  the  rank  undergrowth  among 
the  palms  and,  no  doubt,  they  were  intently  watching 


206  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

every  movement  of  the  men  who  were  approaching  their 
domains. 

The  bow  of  the  tender  soon  grated  on  the  coral-sand 
and  debris  and  Mr.  Young  and  Captain  Ashton  stepped 
ashore,  while  the  sailors  remained  seated  and  ready  to 
push  off  or  defend  themselves,  as  the  case  might  be,  at  a 
second's  notice. 

The  two  gentlemen  who  went  ashore  carried  two  44 
calibre  revolvers  each,  but  no  rifles.  They  also  took  a 
few  notions  and  several  yards  of  brilliant  red  and  yellow 
figured  print  of  a  low  grade,  but  it  was  just  what  the 
natives  most  admire.  Mr.  Young  waited  a  few  moments 
for  some  of  the  people  to  appear,  but  not  a  sign  of  human 
life  was  to  be  seen ;  so  he  climbed  up  on  a  huge  mass  of 
tree-coral  and  unrolled  his  cloth  so  the  natives,  if  they 
were  watching,  could  see  it.  Next  he  pointed  at  the 
cloth  and  then  toward  where  the  savages  were  supposed 
to  be.  This  ruse  had  the  desired  effect,  for  a  single  man 
appeared  and  slowly  came  toward  the  boat,  but  when  he 
had  gotten  within  ten  rods  of  the  shore  he  stopped  and 
could  not  be  induced  to  come  any  nearer. 

"Be  very  careful  and  look  out  for  treachery,"  said  the 
captain,  as  Mr.  Young  went  to  meet  the  native. 

"I  shall  be  as  discreet  as  possible,"  Mr.  Young  replied. 

When  he  arrived  within  speaking  distance  of  the  native, 
Mr.  Young  said 

"Can  you  talk  English,  my  friend?" 

"Me  talk  Inglese,"  replied  the  native." 

"What  is  your  name?"  inquired  Mr.  Young. 

"Me  Chulka,  great  chief." 

"Well,  Chulka,  I  want  to  talk  with  you,  and  I  have 
brought  you  some  presents,"  said  Mr.  Young,  handing 
the  chief  a  piece  of  print. 

Chulka  gazed  on  his  prize  with  unfeigned  admiration, 
but  he  kept  casting  furtive  glances  at  the  men  in  the  boat. 

"They  will  not  hurt  you,  Chulka,"  Mr.  Young  assured 
the  native. 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  207 

"We  have  come  to  find  out  if  there  are  any  white  men 
on  your  island." 

"No  white  men  here  now.  White  men  come  some- 
time in  big  ship,  but  gone  now." 

"If  I  should  give  you  a  lot  of  cloth,  wire,  beads  and 
knives,  Chulka,  could  you  find  any  white  men  here?"  Mr, 
Young  inquired,  watching  the  chief  narrowly. 

"No  white  man  here,  so  Chulka  no  find  him." 

Mr.  Young  was  satisfied  that  the  savage  was  telling  the 
truth,  and  as  the  rest  of  the  natives  had  gained  courage 
and  were  coming  toward  the  shore,  he  thought  it  expe- 
dient to  end  the  interview.  He  took  a  string  of  large 
gilt  beads  out  of  his  pocket  and  gave  them  to  Chulka, 
and  then  thanked  him  and  returned  to  the  boat. 

When  Mr.  Young  had  gotten  aboard  of  the  launch, 
and  they  were  returning  to  the  yacht,  he  saw  that  a  hun- 
dred or  more  natives  had  emerged  from  the  forest  and 
joined  Chulka.  They  were,  no  doubt,  admiring  the  pres- 
ents that  the  chief  had  received,  and  also  learning  what 
the  white  men  wanted. 

As  it  was  almost  night  and  the  Altair  had  a  sheltered 
anchorage,  it  was  decided  to  remain  there  until  morning. 
There  was  no  moon  and  the  atoll  appeared  dark  and 
gloomy  after  night  had  fallen  over  the  scene.  Not  a 
sound  was  heard  from  the  natives  during  the  evening  and 
not  even  a  light  could  be  seen  on  shore.  Their  camp 
was  evidently  on  the  interior  or  lagoon  beach. 

It  was  warm  and  close  below,  so  the  voyagers  sat 
on  deck  and  conversed  of  the  islands  they  had  searched, 
and  those  that  were  yet  to  be  visited. 

"I  had  no  idea  of  the  vast  extent  of  Polynesia  before 
coming  here,  and  now  I  have  seen  but  a  very  small  part 
of  it,"  said  Mr.  Young. 

"It  covers  a  very  large  area,  some  19,000  square  miles 
I  believe,"  Mr.  Stillman  remarked. 

"Do  you  not  think  it  a  very  large  undertaking,  this 


208  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

search,  when  we  have  nothing  to  go  by?"  asked  the  cap- 
tain. 

"Yes,  captain,  but  we  had  an  idea  where  the  wreck 
occurred,  and  we  could  judge  which  way  the  life-boat 
would  be  most  likely  to  sail,  and  we  know  what  land  lies 
in  that  direction.  I  did  not  come  to  the  Pacific  with 
the  intention  of  searching  the  whole  of  Polynesia,  but  if 
Fred  is  not  found,  I  would  as  soon  cruise  about  among 
these  islands  for  a  few  years  as  to  return  to  New  York. 
I  shall  not  lose  hope  until  these  islands  are  thoroughly 
searched,  and  I  may  not  then." 

"We  shall  find  Fred  yet,"  said  Mrs.  Young,  "and  we 
will  carry  him  home  with  us  when  we  go." 

"Yes,  Mrs.  Young,  something  tells  me  that  we  will 
find  Fred  soon.  I  think  we  are  within  a  few  hundred 
miles  of  him  this  very  moment,"  Marion  said  earnestly. 

"It  seems  strange,"  interposed  Mr,  Stillman,  "that  if 
Fred  got  safely  away  from  the  sinking  ship  in  a  boat,  that 
he  did  not  use  it  to  make  some  port  among  these  islands. 
Even  if  he  did  land  on  an  uninhabited  shore  in  the  first 
place,  after  learning  that  fact  he  could  have  put  to  sea 
again,  for  he  knew,  of  course,  how  numerous  the  islands 
are  in  this  vicinity." 

"We  do  not  know,"  said  Constance,  "but  that  Fred  has 
arrived  in  New  York  by  this  time." 

"I  have  often  thought  of  that,  but  if  Fred  should  hap- 
pen to  reach  home,  Mr.  Clark  would  write  immediately, 
and  I  will  receive  the  news  as  soon  as  we  return  to  Pa- 
peete," rejoined  Mr,  Young. 

"There  is  no  question  in  my  mind  but  that  something 
happened  to  the  second  boat  or  the  men  therein,  or  we 
should  not  be  here  searching  for  Fred.  If  they  landed 
on  some  island  and  were  taken  prisoners  by  the  natives, 
they  surely  could  not  reach  port,  or  if  after  they  landed 
their  boat  was  stolen  from  them,  it  would  be  impossible 
for  them  to  depart  for  more  congenial  shores,"  said 
Captain  Ashton. 


FREDERICK    YOUNO.  209 

"Let  us  trust  in  the  Heavenly  Father,  do  our  duty  as 
well  as  we  know  how,  and  await  developments,"  said  Mr. 
Young,  and  they  all  thought  he  was  right. 

The  party  went  below  about  9  o'clock  that  night,  and 
by  10  o'clock  everything  was  still  and  quiet  on  deck, 
excepting  the  soft  tread  of  the  night  watch  as  he  walked 
back  and  forth  from  bow  to  stern. 

It  could  not  have  been  much  after  midnight,  when  a 
long,  dark  form  noiselessly  came  alongside  of  the  Altair. 
It  was  so  dark,  the  sky  having  become  overcast  with  murky 
clouds,  that  the  watch  did  not  see  this  object  until  it  was 
under  the  ship's  side.  Then  he  sprang  forward  and  dis- 
charged the  cannon,  and  went  below  with  all  possible 
haste.  He  had  seen  that  it  was  a  canoe  loaded  with 
natives,  and  that  they  were  well  armed. 

The  report  of  the  twenty-pounder  in  the  dead  of  night 
had  aroused  everybody  on  board,  and  they  were  appear- 
ing in  the  main  cabin  from  all  quarters,  hastily  dressed, 
when  the  watchman  entered. 

"Captain,  a  war-canoe  full  of  savages  has  come  along- 
side, and  even  now  they  may  be  swarming  on  deck!"  the 
the  night  watch  said,  incoherently. 

Captain  Ashton  immediately,  but  quietly,  gave  orders 
for  all  the  sailors  to  arm  themselves  with  repeating  rifles, 
revolvers  and  swords.  The  rest  of  the  men  needed  no 
bidding  to  do  this.  Each  man  also  took  a  bull's-eye 
lantern,  and  attached  it  to  his  belt,  lighted,  but  with  the 
light  covered. 

"Now  fasten  all  the  doors  but  the  one  leading  to  the 
companion  way  and  those  connecting  with  the  state- 
rooms," said  the  captain. 

Two  sailors  were  detailed  to  guard  the  door,  and  the 
ladies  were  admonished  to  remain  in  the  saloon  and  not 
to  come  on  deck  under  any  pretext  whatever,  until  they 
were  told  it  was  safe  to  do  so. 

Not  a  sound  could  be  heard  above,  but  the  captain  had 
no  doubt  that  the  natives  were  on  deck  and  pilfering 


210  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

everything  that  they  could  lay  their  hands  on,  for  he  well 
knew  that  they  have  a  natural  propensity  for  stealing. 

It  was  not  over  two  minutes  after  the  cannon  was  fired 
that  Captain  Ashton  stepped  on  deck  followed  by  fifteen 
armed  men.  He  peered  into  the  gloom  and  saw  that  the 
deck  fairly  swarmed  with  dusky  forms,  going  hither  and 
thither  hunting  after  plunder,  but  they  moved  in  such  a 
stealthy  manner  that  no  sound  was  produced  by  their 
agile  movements. 

"What  are  you  fellows  doing?"  the  captain  shouted  in 
a  sonorous  tone. 

No  answer  was  given  by  the  intruders,  but  their  hither- 
to rapid  motions  instantly  ceased. 

"Call  for  Chulka,  for  this  is  undoubtedly  his  tribe," 
said  Mr.  Young. 

"Chulka!"   called  the  captain. 

"Chulka!"  he  repeated. 

"Chulka,  why  do  you  not  answer?"  the  captain  again 
shouted,  and  in  a  still  louder  tone  of  voice. 

If  the  chief  was  there  he  did  not  intend  to  make  that 
fact  known,  for  the  natives  remained  as  still  as  death. 

A  second  later,  however,  a  whizzing  sound  was  heard 
and  Mr.  Young  dodged  to  one  side  just  in  time  to  avoid 
being  pierced,  perhaps  fatally,  by  a  heavy  iron-tipped 
spear,  which,  as  it  was,  grazed  his  clothing  and  sank 
deep  into  the  hard  wood  casing  by  his  side,  while  the  long 
bamboo  shaft  retained  its  horizontal  position  and  quiv- 
ered by  the  concussion.  The  natives  had  not  only  in- 
truded on  private  property,  but  now  they  had  openly, 
without  provocation,  declared  their  hostile  intentions  by 
attempting  to  murder  the  leader  of  the  expedition. 

The  captain  needed  no  further  demonstration  from  the 
savages. 

"Forward,  boys,  and  spare  none  of  the  wretches!"  he 
shouted,  and  simultaneously  his  unerring  Winchester 
jumped  to  his  shoulder  with  a  promptitude  that  combined 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  211 

thought  with  action,  and  the  sharp  report  was  immedi- 
ately followed  by  the  fall  of  a  savage. 

The  dark  lanterns  were  then  opened  and  a  flood  of 
dazzling  light  was  thrown  on  the  natives,  who  were  re- 
vealed in  all  their  hideousness.  They  were  specially 
gotten  up  for  a  fight,  as  was  evidenced  by  the  daubs  of 
ochre  and  pigments  on  their  faces,  and  the  colored  feath- 
ers worn  in  their  hair.  They  were  momentarily  blinded 
by  the  brilliancy  of  the  light,  and  before  they  could  act 
the  deadly  repeating  rifles  in  the  hands  of  the  sailors  sent 
volley  after  volley  into  the  negroes'  ranks ;  and  their  num- 
ber was  being  cut  down  rapidly,  when  they  realized  their 
danger  and  tried  to  escape  by  plunging  head-first  over 
the  bulwarks  into  the  sea. 

At  this  time  a  momentary  cessation  of  hostilities  oc- 
curred, but  it  was  soon  followed  by  a  flight  of  spears  and 
arrows  from  the  bow.  The  sailors  immediately  reversed 
their  position  and  opened  fire  on  the  natives  in  the  fore 
part  of  the  ship,  and  the  inroads  of  the  balls  from  the 
repeating  rifles  soon  checked  the  advance  of  the 
screeching  mass  of  savages,  and  they  found  that  the  white 
men  were  too  much  for  them. 

When  the  magazines  were  empty,  the  sailors  slung 
their  rifles,  and  then  drew  a  brace  of  revolvers  each  and 
continued  the  defense. 

A  niimber  of  natives  had  fallen,  but  still  they  stood  their 
ground  and  hurled  their  crude  weapons  with  skill  and  pre- 
cision, and  several  sailors  were  wounded  by  them.  It  was 
soon  made  evident  to  the  dusky  sons  of  Polynesia  that 
they  could  not  overcome  their  foes,  and  when  the  whites 
drewtheir  sabres  and  charged, the  natives  tumbled  rather 
than  climbed  over  the  rail  into  their  canoes.  Those  of 
the  attacking  party  that  could  not  reach  the  huge  dug-out 
or  the  small  canoes,  jumped  into  the  water  and  swam 
ashore. 

Before  the  sailors  could  get  more  ammunition  to  give 
the  fleeing  savages  a  few  parting  shots,  their  canoes  had 


313  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

disappeared  in  the  darkness.  The  rout  was  complete,  and 
the  natives  had  been  taught  a  lesson  that  they  would 
long  remember. 

Five  sailors  were  wounded,  and  one  had  an  ugly  spear 
thrust  in  his  side  that  might  prove  to  be  quite  serious. 
The  wounded  were  taken  below  to  have  their  hurts 
dressed  and  properly  cared  for,  while  those  who  had 
come  out  of  the  fray  unscathed  staid  on  deck  and  threw 
the  corpses  of  the  savages  overboard. 

It  was  estimated  that  seventy  natives  had  boarded  the 
yacht,  and  surely  one-fourth  of  that  number  had  been 
killed.  No  doubt  but  that  those  who  were  so  fortunate 
as  to  leave  the  ship  alive,  would  be  sensible  enough  to  let 
peaceable  white  men  alone  in  the  future. 

The  ladies  were  huddled  close  together  in  the  cabin, 
perfectly  terrified,  during  the  fight  on  deck;  and  it  was 
a  joyful  relief  to  them  from  a  painful  suspense  when  Mr. 
Stillman  and  the  captain,  followed  by  Mr.  Young,  entered 
and  said  the  savages  had  been  dispersed  and  that  the 
ship's  crew  were  all  alive. 

"Oh,  Allen!  is  anyone  hurt?"  anxiously  inquired  Mrs. 
Stillman. 

"Five  sailors  are  slightly  wounded,  Lydia,  but  it  is 
nothing  very  serious,  and  the  first  mate,  who  is  quite  a 
surgeon,  is  attending  to  them,"  answered  Mr.  Stillman. 

"Where  is  Marion?"  asked  Mr.  Young,  who  had  no- 
ticed that  she  was  not  in  the  saloon. 

"She  went  into  her  state-room  a  few  minutes  ago," 
said  Constance,  "and  I  suppose  she  is  there  now." 

"I  will  go  and  see  what  is  detaining  her,"  said  Mrs. 
Stillman,  arising.  "Poor  girl,  she  must  be  terribly 
frightened !" 

Marion's  room,  as  did  several  of  the  private  cabins,  led 
olT  the  main  saloon,  and  Mrs.  Stillman  rapped  on  the 
door  of  her  daughter's  room;  lightly  at  first  but  louder 
when  she  received  no  reply  from  within.  She  pushed 
the  door  open  and  the  light  shone  in.     The  window  was 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  213 

open ;  the  blind  had  been  torn  from  its  fastenings,  and  it 
now  hung  in  a  shattered  condition ;  the  chairs  were  over- 
turned, everything  was  in  disorder  and  the  room  was  not 
occupied  by  any  human  being — Marion  was  gone. 
Where  could  she  be? 

"Oh,  my  God,  Allen,  the  savages  have  stolen  our  dar- 
ling child!  What  shall  we  do?"  and  with  this  heart-rend- 
ing exclamation  she  threw  up  her  arms  and  fell  in  a 
swoon.  Unconsciousness  had  leniently  come  to  relieve 
the  suffering  mother  from  the  pain  and  sorrow  attendant 
upon  such  a  great  calamity. 

Mr.  Stillman  was  no  less  affected  than  his  wife  when  the 
terrible  reality  dawned  upon  him  with  full  significance. 
His  limbs  trembled  beneath  him,  and  he  had  to  lay  his 
hands  on  the  mahogany  table  for  support,  while  a  mist 
seemed  to  arise  before  his  eyes,  and  his  head  buzzed  with 
conflicting  sounds.  His  pet,  his  only  child,  whom  he 
loved  more  than  life,  had  been  torn  away  from  him,  and 
even  then,  perhaps,  she  was  being  subjected  to  the  evil 
ruthlessness  of  a  savage  tribe  maddened  by  defeat.  There 
was  no  knowing  with  what  a  terrible  fate  his  darling  was 
menaced.  The  thought  seemed  to  resuscitate  him,  and 
he  braced  himself  up  with  a  superhuman  effort.  He  must 
not  be  weak;  he  must  act;  he  must  tear  Marion  from  the 
black  demons  or  die  in  the  attempt! 

The  ladies  had  Mrs.  Stillman  taken  to  the  sofa,  and 
they  then  applied  restoratives  and  chafed  her  hands. 
She  soon  came  to  under  the  vigorous  remedies  applied, 
but  a  groan  was  her  first  utterance  after  regaining  con- 
sciousness. 

The  news  of  Marion's  disappearance  spread  among  the 
sailors  like  wild-fire,  and  every  one  volunteered  to  go  to 
her  rescue;  even  the  wounded  were  ready  to  start,  for 
Marion  was  a  general  favorite  on  board.  She  was  kind 
and  pleasant  to  all,  and  she  felt  above  none,  if  they  were 
good  and  pure,  no  matter  how  humble  their  station  in  life 
might  be.     All  gathered  around  in  the  cabin  in  respectful 


214:  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

silence,  until  their  captain  spoke,  and  they  did  not  have 
long  to  wait. 

"Mr.  Stillman,  be  not  alarmed;  your  daughter  shall  be 
saved,"  said  the  captain,  and  then  to  the  crew:  "Boys, 
four  of  you  collect  and  reload  all  the  rifles  and  revolvers 
and  lay  out  a  good  extra  supply  of  ammunition.  The  rest 
of  you  thoroughly  search  every  part  of  the  yacht  for  Miss 
Stillman;  if  she  cannot  be  found  on  board  report  to  me!" 

The  orders  had  scarcely  left  the  captain's  lips,  when  the 
sailors  rushed  to  perform  the  duties  assigned  to  them. 

During  the  few  moments  occupied  by  the  search,  the 
probable  way  in  which  Marion  had  been  abducted  was 
discussed.  It  was  decided  that  a  native  had  forced  his 
way  into  her  cabin  before  she  entered,  and  when  she  did 
go  in  he  grabbed  her  and  stifled  her  cries,  and  then  she, 
no  doubt,  lapsed  into  unconsciousness.  The  savage  then 
probably  took  his  captive  through  the  window  and  into 
a  canoe,  for  there  were  several  boats  in  the  attack.  The 
din  and  confusion  on  deck  helped  to  drown  any  noise 
that  might  have  been  made  by  the  struggle,  or  while  the 
native  was  carrying  his  burden  to  the  canoe.  The  disor- 
der of  everything  in  the  state-room  indicated  that  a  brief 
struggle,  at  least,  had  taken  place  between  the  poor  girl 
and  her  captor. 

The  captain  liad  the  launch  lowered,  preparatory  to 
pursuing  the  savages.  It  was  very  evident  that  they  would 
fare  badly  at  the  hands  of  the  sailors  if  found. 

The  crew  which  had  been  commissioned  to  search  the 
Altair  reported  that  Marion  was  positively  not  on  the 
yacht,  and  further,  that  Prince  was  missing  also.  One 
of  the  sailors  was  sure  that  the  dog  was  on  deck  during 
the  fight.  Mr.  Young  feared  that  the  noble  animal  had 
been  transfixed  by  a  Sawaiori's  spear  and  thrown  over- 
board. 

No  more  time  was  lost.  The  five  wounded  sailors,  the 
first  mate  and  an  able-bodied  seaman  were  left  to  guard 
the  yacht;   while  fifteen  determined,  well-equipped  men 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  215 

stepped  into  the  tender,  and  it  immediately  left  the  ship 
for  the  atoll  shore.  She  was  recklessly  given  a  full  head 
of  steam.  Captain  Ashton  knew  that  a  mile  of  clear 
water  intervened  between  the  yacht  and  the  island.  Day- 
light was  near  at  hand.  The  natives  did  not  have  over 
fifteen  minutes'  start  of  their  pursuers,  and  the  greater 
speed  of  the  launch,  compared  with  the  natives'  dug-out 
canoes,  would  cut  off  quite  a  considerable  part  of  the 
latters'  lead.  The  savages  could  not  much  more  than 
have  reached  the  island  when  the  launch  started  after 
them. 

The  captain  argued  that  they  had  not  seen  any  canoes 
when  on  the  atoll  the  day  before,  or  while  circumnavi- 
gating it,  therefore,  they  must  have  been  pulled  up  and 
hidden,  or  else  they  were  in  some  indentation  of  the 
lagoon  shore.  If  the  latter  theory  was  correct,  the  natives 
probably  headed  for  and  entered  the  passage  connecting 
the  interior  sea  with  the  ocean.  Mr.  Young  and  Mr. 
Stillman  coincided  with  Captain  Ashton,  and  it  was  a 
question  whether  they  should  follow  the  captain's  sup- 
position or  be  guided  by  circumstances.  It  was  finally 
decided  to  go  directly  ashore  and  trust  to  the  natural 
sequence  of  events. 

As  they  approached  the  land  the  steam  was  shut  off 
and  the  launch  was  allowed  to  run  ashore  by  the  impetus 
gained.  As  the  bow  grated  on  the  sand  the  captain 
stepped  upon  the  beach  and  tried  to  penetrate  the  dark- 
ness on  either  hand,  but  nothing  suspicious  could  be 
seen  or  heard.  This  was  a  time  when  nyctalopy  might 
have  been  advantageous  to  him.  All  landed  but  the  en- 
gineer, who  was  instructed  to  lie  just  oflF  shore,  within 
easy  calling  distance,  and  not  to  vacate  the  vicinity  unless 
the  natives  appeared  and  compelled  him  to  do  so  for  his 
own  protection.  If  this  should  occur,  he  was  to  signal 
the  party  by  blowing  two  long  whistles  repeatedly. 

It  was  decided  to  march  to  the  lagoon  passage  with  all 
possible  haste.     It  was  difficult  walking  along  the  beach. 


216  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

as  their  feet  sank  deep  into  the  dry  sand  and  coral  debris, 
while  large  masses  of  branch  coral  were  encountered 
in  the  darkness.  They  reached  the  inlet  just  as  the  first 
rosy  rays  of  dawn  began  to  beautify  the  eastern  sky,  but 
they  felt  depressed  and  sad  over  the  events  of  the  night, 
and  not  in  the  mood  to  enjoy  the  artistic  embellishments 
of  nature. 

The  party  followed  up  the  lagoon  shore,  and  as  it  be- 
came light  they  scrutinized  the  beach  for  any  trace  of  the 
savages,  while  they  concealed  themselves  as  much  as 
possible  among  the  rank  undergrowth,  for  they  expected 
that  the  natives  would  be  watching  for  them.  They  had 
probably  walked  three  miles  from  the  inlet  when  a  large, 
dark  object  sprang  out  of  a  thicket  and  landed  at  Mr. 
Young's  feet.  A  dozen  rifles  were  synchronically  cocked 
and  raised,  but  they  were  immediately  lowered.  The 
dark  object  was  Prince,  and  he  was  now  whining  and 
licking  his  master's  hand.  Joy  and  hope  of  Marion's 
proximity  now  pervaded  every  soul. 

"Where  is  Marion?"  Mr.  Stillman  said,  stroking  the 
noble  head  of  the  dog. 

"Where  is  she,  Prince?  Lead  us  to  her,  old  fellow! 
Quick,  Prince!     Find  her!"   Mr.  Young  said. 

Prince  seemed  to  understand,  for  he  started  right  off 
and  looked  over  his  shoulder  and  whined,  and  the  party 
followed  in  Indian  file.  Possibly  a  half  mile  was  tra- 
versed in  this  fashion,  when  Prince  stopped  and  sniffed 
the  air,  and  then  he  went  forward  slowly  and  so  carefully 
that  not  a  twig  snapped  under  his  feet.  The  men  fol- 
lowed, exercising  the  same  care.  Prince  soon  made 
another  halt,  and  by  his  actions  Mr.  Young  knew  that  the 
savages  were  near  at  hand,  but  still  nothing  could  be 
seen  of  them,  the  thickets  were  so  dense. 

Parkins,  one  of  the  sailors,  who  had  been  among  the 
Sawaioris  considerably  on  previous  voyages,  volunteered 
to  turn  scout  and  to  make  a  reconnaissance. 

"Very  well,"  said  the  captain,  "we  will  wait  here  until 


FREDERICK    YOUNO.  217 

you  return,  and  be  as  careful  and  as  expeditious  as  possi- 
ble." 

Ten  minutes  later  Parkins  returned,  and  reported  that 
about  thirty  natives  were  in  camp  not  over  six  rods  ahead, 
and  that  he  had  seen  Marion.  She  was  in  the  middle  of 
the  camp  bound  hand  and  foot,  and  two  warriors  were 
guarding  her.  Two  more  natives  were  guarding  the 
camp,  while  the  rest  appeared  to  be  sleeping.  The  guards 
did  not  seem  to  be  on  the  alert;  they  evidently  felt  ab- 
solutely secure  in  their  sheltered  retreat. 

Mr.  Stillman  anxiously  plied  the  scout  with  questions 
concerning  Marion,  but  all  the  information  he  could 
elicit  from  the  sailor  was,  that  the  girl  was  very  pale  and 
her  eyes  were  closed,  while  her  head  was  resting  against 
the  butt  of  a  fan-palm. 

"What  is  your  idea  regarding  the  attack?"  the  captain 
inquired  of  Parkins. 

"Well,  cap'en,  I  think  we  can  creep  up  near  enough  to 
shoot  Miss  Marion's  guards,  then  make  a  rush,  surround 
her,  and  attack  the  sleeping  savages  before  they  can  get 
their  eyes  fairly  open,"  answered  Parkins. 

"Your  plan  seems  to  be  an  excellent  one  and  we  will 
adopt  it,  and  we  will  let  you  lead,"  returned  Captain 
Ashton. 

Thereupon  the  scout  led  the  way,  and  cautioned  his 
followers  to  exercise  the  utmost  care  not  to  make  the  least 
noise.  They  moved  forward,  Prince  following;  the  noble 
dog  knew  that  his  services  were  no  longer  required.  Not 
a  word  was  spoken;  not  a  twig  snapped;  even  the  dead 
leaves  were  not  allowed  to  rattle.  Soon  the  sailor  halted, 
and  he  and  the  captain  had  a  short  conference. 

"Mr.  Stillman,  has  this  aflfair  unnerved  you?  Can  you 
hold  your  rifle  steadily?"  Captain  Ashton  asked. 

"Try  me!  I  want  a  chance  on  those  brutes,  to  teach 
them  a  little  common  sense." 

"Good!  You  and  I  will  go  forward  and  doctor  Mar- 
ion's gnards,  and  the  second  we  fire,  the  rest  of  you 


218  FREDERICK    YOUNG, 

charge  on  the  camp,  surround  the  prisoner,  and  open 
fire  on  the  savages,"  said  the  captain. 

The  two  marksmen  then  crept  stealthily  forward  until 
they  could  look  into  the  camp  through  the  underbrush. 
Marion  was  not  over  forty  feet  from  them,  reclining  at 
the  butt  of  a  palm,  and  the  camp  was  just  as  Parkins  had 
described  it.     The  natives  were  still  sleeping. 

"Mr.  Stillman,  you  take  the  guard  on  the  left  of  Marion, 
and  I  will  drop  the  one  on  the  right.  Let  us  be  careful 
of  our  aim  and  not  hit  Marion.  When  I  count  three  we 
will  fire.    Are  you  ready?" 

"I  am  ready,"  answered  Mr.  Stillman  in  a  whisper,  and 
the  two  rifles  came  to  a  horizontal  position. 

"One,  two,  three!"  counted  the  captain,  and  as  he  said 
three  the  two  repeaters  flashed  simultaneously;  two  de- 
tonations sounded  as  one;  the  two  savages  fell  without 
uttering  a  sound;  the  bullets  had  done  their  fatal  work. 
Marion  opened  her  eyes  and  turned  her  head.  She  did 
not  appear  surprised;  she  was  evidently  expecting  the 
attack;  she  knew  her  parents  and  friends  would  rescue 
her  from  the  perilous  position  or  die  in  the  attempt. 

As  the  reports  reverberated  through  the  forest  Mr. 
Stillman  and  Captain  Ashton  sprang  forward. 

One  of  the  warriors  who  was  on  guard — an  ugly  look- 
ing savage  six  feet  high  and  large-framed,  saw  his  com- 
panions fall,  and  bounded  toward  the  prisoner.  He  evi- 
dently sought  vengeance,  for  to  the  horror  of  Marion's 
friends  he  stood  over  the  poor  girl  with  upraised  spear. 
In  a  second  it  would  be  driven  through  her  body.  She 
gave  a  piercing  scream,  but  she  could  do  nothing  to  avoid 
the  cruel  spear;  she  was  bound  hand  and  foot. 

Mr.  Stillman  could  do  nothing;  the  sight  had  almost 
paralyzed  him ;  a  groan  escaped  his  lips. 

Captain  Ashton  tried  to  recharge  his  rifle,  but  he  in- 
stinctively knew  that  he  could  not  work  the  lever,  aim 
and  fire  in  time. 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  219 

"Oh,  God  save  her!"  her  father  cried  in  an  agonized 
tone  of  suppUcation. 

What  was  that?  A  dark,  tawny  body  fairly  shot 
through  the  air;  it  struck  the  savage  on  the  breast;  he 
fell  backwards;  the  upraised  cpear  did  not  descend. 
God  be  praised!  Marion  was  saved!  Prince  had  the 
savage  by  the  throat,  and  they  were  struggling  on  the 
ground.  A  ball  from  the  captain's  rifle  fixed  the  native, 
and  the  struggle  between  dog  and  man  ended. 

The  rest  of  the  savages  sprang  to  their  feet  with  wild, 
blood-curdling  yells,  but  only  to  be  cut  down  by  their 
merciless  enemies,  who  were  now  around  Marion  en 
masse  pouring  a  rapid  and  deadly  fire  into  the  natives. 
Many  were  stretched  out  on  the  ground,  never  to  rise 
again,  before  they  had  a  chance  to  collect  their  wits;  the 
others  made  a  break  for  cover,  and  a  few  seconds  later 
had  disappeared  in  the  forest  toward  the  lagoon. 

The  surprise  had  been  complete;  the  whites  had  ac- 
complished their  object,  for  Marion  was  sobbing  for  joy 
on  her  father's  breast,  and  good  old  Prince,  the  hero  of 
the  hour,  was  complacently  looking  on.  The  rescue  and 
the  perilous  situation  of  Marion  but  a  moment  before 
brought  on  a  reaction  of  feeling  that  made  the  tears  steal 
down  the  cheeks  of  the  sturdy  mariners,  even,  and  it 
seemed  that  the  loving  father  and  the  tender  child  could 
not  caress  each  other  enough. 

After  becoming  composed  Marion  told  the  following 
story: 

"I  went  into  my  cabin  to  look  out  of  the  window;  I 
closed  the  door  so  I  could  see  without  being  seen  by  those 
without.  The  very  instant  I  shut  the  door  someone 
grabbed  me  in  the  dark,  and  before  I  could  scream  or 
make  any  outcry  he  put  his  hand  over  my  mouth  and 
tried  to  pull  me  toward  the  window,  but  I  struggled  des- 
perately and  tried  to  make  all  the  noise  that  I  could. 
Then  he  choked  me  and  I  seemed  to  be  whirling  around, 
and  then  I  felt  as  if  I  were  falling,  and  then  oblivion 


220  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

came.  I  suppose  that  I  lost  consciousness  then,  for  when 
I  came  to  myself  again  I  was  in  a  long  boat  full  of  those 
wretches,"  pointing  shudderingly  at  the  dead  Sawaioris 
lying  on  the  ground,  "and  after  a  long  time  they  entered 
an  inlet  with  trees  on  both  sides,  and  I  was  made  to  get 
out  and  walk  through  the  dense  brush  to  this  place.  They 
then  bound  my  hands  and  ankles  and  left  two  savages  to 
guard  me.  They  did  not  treat  me  badly,  but  I  was  so 
afraid  that  you  could  not  find  me,  and  I  expected  to  be 
tortured  or  killed  when  those  savages  got  through  sleep- 
ing. I  knew  you  would  do  everything  in  your  power  to 
save  me,  and  when  I  heard  your  guns  I  was  not  startled 
or  surprised;  I  knew  my  father  and  friends  were  near. 
You  know  the  rest,  and,  papa,  if  it  had  not  been  for  brave, 
noble  Prince,  your  daughter  would  now  be  lying  here 
dead — pierced  through  the  heart  by  that  brute's  spear." 

"Yes,  my  darling,  you  owe  much  to  Prince,  who  must 
have  been  guided  by  the  Almighty  above,  whom  we  must 
thank  for  your  rescue  from  this  savage  tribe,"  said  Mr. 
Stillman,  imprinting  a  kiss  on  Marion's  pale  brow. 

"May  I  ask  you  a  few  questions,  Miss  Marion?"  said 
Captain  Ashton. 

"As  many  as  you  like,  captain." 

"When  the  natives  brought  you  here  in  the  boat,  was 
Prince  with  you?" 

"He  was  not." 

"Did  you  see  or  hear  him  around  this  camp?" 

"No,  captain,  the  last  time  I  saw  Prince,  before  he 
sprang  over  me  and  attacked  this  savage,  was  on  the 
yacht  sometime  yesterday  afternoon." 

"Friends,  we  now  know  what  a  remarkably  sagacious 
animal  Prince  is,"  said  the  captain.  "He  knew  when 
Marion  was  abducted,  and  he  must  have  swum  after  the 
canoe;  and  after  the  savages  landed  he  must  have  trailed 
them  to  this  spot.  During  that  time  he  was  wise  enough 
to  refrain  from  barking,  and  he  knew  enough  not  to  make 
his  presence  known,  even  to  Marion,  to  whom  he  is  much 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  ^21 

attached.  He  probably  had  the  camp  under  surveillance, 
and  when  he  became  cognizant  of  our  approach  he  met 
us  and  guided  us  to  this  spot,  and  still  he  made  no  sound 
that  could  reach  the  ears  of  the  savages.  He  seemed  to 
know  that  concealment  and  silence  were  imperatively 
necessary.  To  cap  the  climax,  he  saw  Marion's  danger, 
and  before  we  could  act,  his  courage  and  intelligence 
prompted  him  to  avert  what  we  thought  was  destined  to 
be  a  sad  calamity." 

"Prince  has,  indeed,  exhibited  a  wonderful  intelligence. 
I  always  thought  him  a  remarkably  sagacious  dog,  but 
the  events  of  this  day  have  revealed  his  true  worth/'  said 
Mr.  Young.  "But  had  we  not  better  hurry  back  to  the 
ship  and  reHeve  the  suspense  of  those  on  board?" 

"Yes,  of  course.  I  forgot  about  everybody  but  myself 
when  I  found  my  darling,"  said  Mr.  Stillman.  "Do  you 
feel  strong  enough  to  walk,  dear?"  he  said  to  Marion. 

"Yes,  indeed,  papa;  let  me  take  your  arm." 

The  party  then  crossed  the  narrow  strip  of  land  between 
the  lagoon  and  the  ocean.  When  they  reached  the  beach 
they  found  it  was  a  good  mile  to  the  launch,  which  could 
be  plainly  seen.  The  captain  ascended  a  slight  knoll 
and  fired  three  shots  into  the  air.  The  engineer  heard  the 
signal  and  answered  by  three  whistles.  He  saw  where 
the  smoke  arose  and  steamed  for  that  point.  No  doubt 
but  that  those  on  the  Altair  saw  that  smoke  also,  as  the 
ship  could  be  plainly  seen  not  more  than  two  miles  down 
the  coast, 

"They  will  see  me  through  the  telescope,"  said  Marion. 

"Get  up  on  this  high  ground  and  wave  your  handker- 
chief to  them,  Marion,"  said  her  father. 

She  did  as  requested,  and  a  moment  later  a  puflf  of  white 
smoke  was  seen  to  issue  from  the  bow  of  the  yacht,  and 
nine  seconds  later  the  detonation  of  the  twenty-pounder 
was  heard. 

"You  are  seen,  Marion,"  said  Mr.  Young. 


232  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

Mrs.  Stillman  received  her  daughter  with  open  arms, 
and  an  effusion  of  joy. 

A  few  short  hours  before  these  people  had  been  de- 
pressed, not  knowing  whether  Marion  would  ever  be  re- 
covered alive  or  not.  It  was  truly  sad  to  think  that  they 
had  come  so  far  to  search  for  Fred,  and  that  his  affianced 
wife  should  also  be  lost  during  the  prosecution  of  that 
search,  and  if  her  friends  had  not  acted  promptly  she 
might  have  been  subjected  to  a  life  worse  than  death.  But 
kind  Providence  had  ordained  that  it  should  not  be  thus, 
so  sadness  merged  into  joy,  and  happiness  reigned  from 
bow  to  stem  on  the  Altair. 


FREDERICK   YOUNG.  223 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

A  CLUE. 

Monday,  January  2,  1882,  the  Altair  again  put  to  sea. 
All  were  pleased  to  leave  this  atoll,  which  had  proved  to 
be  inhabited  by  the  most  sanguinary  and  inhospitable 
tribe  it  had  been  their  fortune  to  encounter.  The  yacht 
sped  along  on  a  moderately  calm  sea,  her  sharp  bow 
transforming  the  cerulean  waves  into  a  white  foam,  and 
leaving  a  track  astern  that  could  be  traced  by  the  eye  to 
the  horizon.  It  was  extremely  beautiful  and  exhilarating 
on  deck,  and  everybody  appeared  to  be  in  good  spirits. 
Even  Prince  bounded  up  and  down  the  deck  in  a  lively 
manner.  He  always  seemed  happier  when  the  yacht  was 
heading  toward  that  point  where  he  had  acted  so 
strangely  some  time  previous. 

Marion  and  Mr.  Young  paid  especial  attention  to  this 
fact,  and  they  often  commented  to  each  other  regarding 
it.  There  was  surely  something  mysterious  about  these 
peculiar  actions.  The  remarkable  instinct  or  intelligence 
displayed  by  the  St.  Bernard  at  the  atoll  had  a  potent 
influence  on  Mr.  Young,  and  that  gentleman  now  ad- 
mitted to  his  confidante — Marion — that  he  truly  thought 
Prince  knew  more  about  Fred's  location  than  anyone  else 
on  the  ship. 

The  days,  weeks  and  months  went  by  and  still  no  news 
of  the  lost  one  was  obtained.  The  routine  of  the  some- 
what monotonous  search  was  continued  and  the  same 
thoroughness  previously  observed  was  rigorously  ad- 
hered to. 

Was  it  possible,  many  of  the  voyagers  began  to  think, 
that  Fred  had  never  escaped  from  the  spot  where  the  ill- 
fated    Polynesia,    went    down?     It    would    be    nothing 


234  FREDERICK    YOUNG, 

strange  if  it  were  so.  This  idea  became,  after  a  time, 
generally  diffused  among  the  sailors  and  they  intimated 
to  one  another  that  it  was  a  foolhardy  undertaking — this 
expedition.  Of  course,  they  did  not  reveal  these  thoughts 
and  conclusions  to  their  superiors,  for  Mr.  Young  and 
Captain  Ashton  firmly  believed  that  Fred  still  lived;  and 
as  the  two  gentlemen  named,  were  respeotively  owner 
and  chief  officer  of  the  Altair,  it  did  not  concern  the  rest 
what  the  promulgators  and  the  promoters  of  the  scheme 
did.  If  part  of  the  crew  wanted  to  leave  the  yacht  and 
return  home,  they  were  at  liberty  to  do  so  at  the  next 
port,  but  as  the  sailors  had  a  kind  master  and  good  pay 
they  really  had  no  reasonable  ground  for  complaint. 
Yet  they  were  dissatisfied. 

Six  months  later,  or  July  3, 1882,  the  bow  watch  sighted 
the  largest  island  of  the  Tuamoto  Archipelago,  known  as 
Nairsa  (Dean's)  Island.  Not  an  iota  of  news  had  been 
obtained  of  Fred,  during  these  months  of  diligent  search, 
but  the  leaders  of  the  expedition  still  hoped  for  success. 
They  were  people  that  clung  tenaciously  to  a  conclusion, 
and  when  they  made  up  their  minds  that  Fred  was  still 
living  they  would  not  abandon  the  idea  until  everything 
possible  had  been  done  to  verify  it.  It  mattered  not  to 
them  how  much  time  or  danger  wls  involved  in  the  un- 
dertaking, and  Fred  was  to  be  congratulated  on  having 
such  stanch  relatives  and  friends. 

The  island  then  looming  up  ahead  was  an  atoll  forty- 
five  miles  long  and  about  fifteen  miles  wide,  and  the 
broken  shore  formed  some  twenty  islets.  The  Altair 
came  to  anchor  near  this  group,  which  is  spoken  of  in 
the  singular  number,  and  a  day  or  two  on  shore  was 
promised  those  who  were  anxious  to  tread  terra  Hrrna 
once  more.  Nearly  all  wanted  to  avail  themselves  of 
this  opportunity,  therefore,  it  was  arranged  so  that  both 
passengers  and  sailors  could  gratify  their  desire. 

These  islands  are  generally  healthy  and,  as  a  rule, 
they  have  a  lower  mean  temperature  than  Tahiti.     The 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  225 

easterly  trades  prevail,  while  rain  occurs  during  the  dry 
season.  In  other  words,  the  dry  season,  so-called,  is  at 
times  wet.  From  November  to  March  hurricanes  occur 
and  a  heavy  ocean  swell  is  common,  in  consequence, 
which  renders  the  coasts  dangerous  at  that  time.  Some 
of  the  islets  of  this  group  were  marked  on  the  charts, 
"Hostile  inhabitants."  Fortunately  this  atoll  was  not  so 
inscribed. 

When  the  launch  touched  the  land  all  got  out  with 
alacrity  and  gamboled  like  children  on  the  inviting  coral- 
bound  shore.  They  found  an  abudance  of  luscious  co- 
coanuts  under  the  stately  trees,  and  it  was  refreshing  to 
puncture  the  shells  of  the  unripe  nuts  and  partake  of  the 
rich  milk  therein  contained.  They  broke  the  ripe  fruit 
and  then  they  scooped  out  the  soft  pulp,  which  is  highly 
palatable  and  very  nutritious. 

The  cocoanut  palms  and  the  pandanus  thrive  on  these 
islands,  while  the  arum,  banana,  pine-apple  and  bread-fruit 
have  been  introduced,  and  they  do  exceedingly  well.  The 
captain  had  no  difficulty  in  procuring  a  large  supply  of 
these  commodities  from  the  natives,  to  send  aboard  the 
yacht. 

The  sea  around  Nairsa  was  fairly  alive  with  fish,  turtle, 
mollusks,  crustaceans  and  zoophytes,  and  a  goodly 
quantity  of  the  edible  varieties  was  captured,  including 
several  sea-eggs  or  echinis,  which  were  really  a  species 
of  the  well  known  sea-urchin. 

Marion  and  Constance,  while  collecting  shells  and 
corals  on  the  sand,  unexpectedly  came  upon  a  huge 
Chelonian  of  the  green  variety.  They  knew  its  value 
as  an  edible,  as  specimens  had  been  captured  at  other 
islands,  but  this  turtle  was  larger  than  any  they  had 
previously  seen. 

"Let's  capture  it  ourselves;  it  will  be  rare  sport,  and  it 
will  teach  the  gentlemen  that  all  ladies  are  not  afraid  of 
reptiles,"  said  Marion. 


226  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

"It  may  bite  us.  I  don't  want  to  touch  the  horrid 
thing,"  Constance  added,  with  a  shudder. 

"It  cannot  bite  us  if  we  manage  it  right.  All  we  have 
to  do  is  to  take  hold  of  the  side  of  the  shell  and  turn  it 
over  on  its  back,  and  we  must  hurry,  too,  for  if  it  awakes 
it  may  escape  into  the  sea." 

"But,  Marion,  it  is  too  heavy  for  us.  Let  us  call  the 
captain." 

"No,  Constance,  you  are  afraid.  I  shall  try  to  turn  it 
over  alone,  if  you  will  not  help  me,"  and  so  saying  she 
approached  the  sleeping  Chelonian. 

"I  am  not  afraid,"  said  Constance,  following  Marion, 
but  her  face  belied  her  words. 

The  two  girls  suddenly  and  unitedly  exerted  all  their 
strength  on  the  huge  reptile,  and  he  was  completely  sur- 
prised. They  had  lifted  him  up  on  edge  before  he  com- 
menced to  wield  his  great  fiapper-like  feet  in  an  effort  to 
regain  his  equilibrium. 

"Push  him  over,  quick!"  said  Marion.  "There,  old 
turtle,  you  are  our  captive  now!" 

The  girls  had  accomplished  their  purpose;  the  great 
sea-tortoise  was  struggling  on  his  back. 

"The  captain  was  about  ten  rods  down  the  beach,  and 
in  response  to  a  call  from  the  girls  he  approached  them, 
and  the  rest  of  the  party  saw,  heard,  and  did  likewise. 

"Bravo!"  exclaimed  the  captain,  when  he  saw  the 
captive,  and  learned  that  the  girls  had  been  brave  enough 
to  turn  it  over.  "Why,  ladies,  this  turtle  will  weigh  200 
pounds,  and  we  will  have  a  feast." 

The  rest  of  the  voyagers  had  now  gathered  around 
and  they  were  profusely  enthusiastic,  when  they  were 
told  the  particulars  of  the  capture.  Marion  and  Con- 
stance were  the  heroines  of  the  hour. 

The  launch  was  brought  up  to  that  part  of  the  beach 
where  the  turtle  was,  and  the  strong  arms  of  the  sailors 
soon  had  him  on  board.  To  everybody's  surprise,  when 
the  reptile  was  turned  over,  there,  plainly  incised  on  one 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  237 

of  the  epidermal  shields  of  the  carapace  was  the  following 
inscription,  "P.  L.  T.,  1823." 

"This  is  remarkable,"  said  Mr.  Young.  "It  indicates 
that  this  turtle  was  captured  fifty-nine  years  ago,  and  that 
the  captor  cut  his  initials  and  the  year  in  the  shell.  How 
interesting  it  would  be  to  know  who  this  P.  L.  T.  was 
and  where  he  was  located. 

"It  may  have  been  thousands  of  miles  from  here,  but 
we  cannot  place  imphcit  confidence  in  that  date,  for  it 
may  have  been  cut  quite  recently,  with  a  mischievous 
intent  to  deceive  some  future  captor,"  said  Mr.  Stillman. 

"True,  my  friend,  but  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  the 
year  is  correct,  as  the  order  Chelonia  is  noted  for  its 
longevity,"  returned  Mr.  Young. 

That  afternoon  the  party  visited  a  native  village.  The 
inhabitants  were  found  to  be  more  muscular  and  darker 
skinned  than  those  on  the  more  western  islands.  Their 
huts  were  poor,  being  constructed  of  poles  and  leaves, 
usually  square.  Their  outriggero  and  canoes  exhibited 
much  more  skill  and  exactitude  than  their  homes.  They 
used  nets  and  bone  hooks  to  fish  in  the  lagoon. 

On  this  very  day  a  large  party  were  diving  for  pearl 
oysters,  and  the  launch  made  its  way  under  careful  guid- 
ance to  the  spot,  and  the  voyagers  observed  the  modus 
operandi. 

Men  and  women  were  both  employed  in  this  business, 
and  before  diving  from  the  anchored  canoes,  they  anoint 
their  bodies  with  some  unctuous  substance,  which 
greatly  facilitates  their  movements  in  the  water.  They 
do  not  use  a  stone  to  weigh  themselves  down,  as  those 
similarly  employed  in  the  east  do.  These  divers  were 
naked,  with  the  exception  of  a  girdle,  to  which  the  basket 
for  receiving  oysters  was  attached, and  they  would  remain 
below  the  surface  of  the  water,  as  a  rule,  from  one  minute 
to  one  minute  and  a  half.  Some  can  remain  below  much 
longer,  and  instances  are  on  record  where  they  have  staid 
under  water  for  five  and  six  consecutive  minutes.     Of 


228  FREDERICK    YOUNG, 

course,  this  is  very  remarkable  and  also  exceptional. 
After  coming  to  the  surface,  these  natives  would  rest  for 
two  or  three  minutes  before  repeating  the  operation. 
This  work  is  unhealthy  and  those  that  follow  it  are  short- 
Hved,  but  the  remuneration  is  often  great.  Nearly  all 
of  the  island  groups  in  this  section  export  pearls  and 
pearl  oysters.  About  thirty  canoes  were  on  this  fishing 
ground,  and  a  great  many  oysters  were  brought  to  the 
surface. 

"Captain,  I  suppose  you  can  tell  us  all  about  these 
oysters  and  how  the  pearls  are  formed,"  Mrs.  Young 
said. 

"No,  I  do  not  pretend  to  know  all  about  them." 

"The  captain  is  modest,"  Marion  said.  "Tell  us  what 
you  know  about  them,  please." 

"Well,  a  large  number  of  mollusks  secrete  nacre,  or 
mother-of-pearl,  but  only  a  small  proportion  of  them  pro- 
duce the  globular  pearls  which  are  so  highly  prized  for 
ornamental  purposes.  It  has  not  yet,  I  believe,  be?en 
definitely  settled  by  conchologists  just  what  foreign  sub- 
stance is  the  chief  cause  of  these  nacreous  concretions, 
but  the  loose  pearls  are  undoubtedly  caused  by  the  pres- 
ence of  some  foreign  body  within  the  mantle  of  the  mol- 
lusk.  The  extraneous  particle  may  be  a  grain  of  sand, 
some  animalcule,  or  a  minute  fragment  of  the  oyster's 
own  shell.  Whatever  it  is,  it  produces  irritation,  and  the 
mollusk,  as  a  consequence,  covers  it  with  a  layer  of  nacre, 
which  makes  it  smooth  and  round.  This  deposition 
seems  to  be  involuntary,  for  layer  after  layer  is  added 
concentrically  until  the  pearl  becomes  large  enough  to 
be  of  some  commercial  value.  The  longer  it  remains 
within  the  mollusk  the  larger  it  grows.  These  pearls 
diflfer  widely  as  to  clearness,  lustre,  size  and  regularity, 
and  color  also.  The  perle  bouton  of  the  jewelers  is  but 
half-convex,  and  it  is  detached  from  the  interior  of  the 
shells.  From  the  West  Indian  conch  shell  we  get  the 
beautiful  pink  pearls,  and  from  the  pearl  oyster  of  the 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  229 

Mexican  Gulf,  the  black  pearls,  which  are  highly  prized. 

"I  might  talk  an  hour  on  this  subject,  but  for  fear  of 
tiring  my  hearers  I  will  now  cease." 

"It  is  a  very  interesting  subject,  captain,  and  I  think 
you  will  get  fatigued  by  talking,  sooner  than  we  will  by 
listening,"  smilingly  returned  Mr.  Stillman. 

After  purchasing  some  fine  shells  and  pearls  from  the 
natives,  and  making  futile  inquiries  concerning  the 
wreck  of  the  Polynesia,  the  party  returned  to  the  Altair. 

On  Sunday,  October  15,  1882,  or  just  one  year  after 
leaving  home,  the  yacht  came  in  sight  of  Pitcairn's  Island, 
and  this  ended  the  search  in  the  Society  and  the  Tuamotu 
groups. 

This  isolated  islet  is  about  three  miles  long  and  two 
wide,  and,  unlike  the  majority  of  the  islands  of  this  sec- 
tion, it  has  no  outlying  coral  reef,  and  its  bold  basaltic 
shores  rise  abruptly  from  the  ocean.  The  great  billows 
beat  against  the  high,  rugged  cliflfs  with  great  violence. 

The  yacht  had  to  proceed  to  the  west  end  to  anchor, 
this  being  the  only  suitable  place.  Bounty  Bay  might  be 
a  good  harbor  if  the  waves  were  less  violent,  and  the  cur- 
rents were  not  so  strong. 

The  island  is  exceedingly  grand  and  conspicuous  from 
the  sea,  as  a  high  range  of  hills  extends  through  the  cen- 
tral part,  and  at  Outlook  Ridge  the  maximum  height  is 
attained,  that  is,  1,008  feet.  The  vegetation  was  similar 
to  that  on  the  other  islands  visited  by  the  Altair;  the 
sweet  potato  is  raised  here,  however,  in  great  abundance 
and  it  is  a  very  valuable  article  of  food.  A  good  supply 
of  these  farinaceous  roots  was  obtained  by  the  voyagers. 

Adamstown,  the  principal  village,  is  built  on  a  plateau 
about  400  feet  above  the  sea,  and  here  the  majority  of  the 
inhabitants,  which,  by  the  way,  consist  of  less  than  a 
hundred  souls,  live. 

Nearly  every  reader  is  familiar  with  the  historical 
mutiny  of  the  English  ship,  Bounty,  which  occurred  on 
the  28th  of  April,  1789.    Subsequently  the  leader  of  the 


230  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

mutiny  with  his  companions  landed  on  and  took  posses- 
sion of  this  island,  while  the  ship  was  burned.  The  pres- 
ent inhabitants  mainly  descended  from  these  mutineers 
and  their  Tahitian  wives.  They  are  a  kind-hearted,  gen- 
erous people,  and  they  are  very  hospitable  to  strangers. 
In  fact,  ships  visit  them  so  rarely  that  it  would  be  difficult 
for  them  to  be  otherwise  to  their  visitors. 

The  usual  search  and  inquiry  on  this,  as  on  the  other 
islands  visited  by  Mr.  Young  and  his  crew,  failed  to  elicit 
any  information  concerning  Fred  Young.  This  was  the 
last  island  they  were  to  search  of  that  group  of  which  they 
had  expected  so  much,  but  their  labor  and  patience  had 
been  unrewarded. 

"Our  only  consolation  is  that  we  have  done  our  duty," 
Marion  said. 

"It  is  not  yet  done,  Marion,  for  I  intend  to  continue 
this  search  for  an  indefinite  period,"  remarked  Mr. 
Young. 

"What  are  your  intentions  regarding  our  future  move- 
ments, if  I  may  ask?"  inquired  Captain  Ashton. 

"I  think,  captain,  that  we  had  better  steam  directly  to 
Papeete,  Tahiti,  from  this  island,  and  ascertain  if  there  is 
any  mail  from  home  for  us,  and  also  if  the  notice  of  our 
reward  has  reached  the  ears  of  any  individual  who  has 
information  that  will  be  of  service  to  us.  If  we  learn 
nothing  of  material  value  from  these  sources  we  will  again 
take  up  the  search  with  the  Austral  Islands,  and  continue 
by  visiting  Cook's,  Friendly,  Navigators',  and  lastly  the 
Marquesas  Islands.  After  that  we  will  be  governed  by 
circumstances." 

A  week  was  spent  by  the  voyagers  at  Pitcairn's  Island, 
and  they  occupied  a  great  deal  of  that  time  on  shore, 
roaming  around  the  great  cliflfs  of  black  basaltic  lava. 
One  pleasant  morning  they  ascended  Outlook  Ridge, 
and  from  this  altitude  of  over  i,ooo  feet  they  had  an  ex- 
cellent view  of  the  island  and  the  surounding  sea.  Prince , 
was  not  left  behind,  and  when  he  had  attained  the  top  of 


FREDERICK    YOUNQ.  231 

the  ridge  he  gazed  long  and  earnestly  to  the  southwest. 
Marion  was  persistent  in  trying  to  attract  his  attention 
to  objects  in  other  directions,  but  he  would  only  notice 
them  for  a  second,  when  he  would  turn  to  the  southwest 
again  and  gaze  over  the  great  expanse  of  ocean  as  if  he 
would  penetrate  far  beyond  the  horizon  line  and  see  that 
which  seemed  to  occupy  his  mind. 

"What  is  it.  Prince,  good  old  fellow,  can  you  tell  me?" 
said  Marion  to  the  faithful  creature. 

Prince  looked  up  into  her  face  in  a  wistful  way  and 
uttered  an  indescribable  moaning  sound  in  a  very  plain- 
tive tone,  and  he  seemed  much  distressed. 

"Where  is  Fred,  Prince?  Is  he  there?"  said  Mr. 
Young,  pointing  to  the  south. 

Prince  uttered  several  sharp  barks  and  pleaded  longer 
and  louder  than  ever. 

"Oh,  father!"  said  Constance,  "you  do  not  imagine 
that  Prince  has  any  idea  where  Fred  is,  do  you?" 

"Constance,  carrier  pigeons  are  often  carried  off  hun- 
dreds of  miles  from  their  homes  and  when  liberated  they, 
without  hesitation  or  difficulty,  immediately  return  to 
their  old  haunts.  The  tiny  ruby-throated  humming-bird 
which  spends  the  summer  with  us  in  the  State  of  New 
York,  goes  as  far  south  as  the  West  Indies,  Mexico,  Cen- 
tral America  and  South  America  in  winter,  but  he  has 
no  trouble  in  returning  to  his  northern  home  the  follow- 
ing Spring,  or  even  in  finding  the  very  tree  that  he  occu- 
pied with  his  minute,  downy  domicile  the  previous  year. 
I  might  enumerate  many  more  instances  where  what  we 
consider  inferior  beings  display  a  knowledge  or  instinct 
that  is  really  superior  to  our  own.  Our  St.  Bernard  has 
already  given  us  evidence  of  his  superiority,  and  he 
knows  now  a  great  deal  more  than  we  give  him  credit  for. 
He  may  know  more  about  Fred  than  we  imagine." 

"Yes,"  said  Marion,  "and  he  would  lead  us  to  Fred, 
too,  if  he  but  Had  the  power  to  guide  the  ship." 

"Absurd,  Marion!    The  key  to  these,  so-called  mys- 


232  FREDERICK    YOU  NO. 

terious  actions  is  simply  this:  Prince  is  homesick;  he 
knows  that  we  came  from  the  south,  and  he  is  anxious  to 
go  back  that  way,"  said  Constance. 

"Constance,  you  have  struck  the  nail  fairly  on  the  head. 
That  will  account  for  the  hitherto  mysterious  actions  of 
our  dog.  He  simply  kept  his  bearings,  and  he  is  trying 
to  tell  us  that  he  is  tired  of  the  South  Sea  islands'  and 
everything  connected  with  them,  and  is  longing  to  once 
more  tread  the  pavements  of  our  metropolis/'  said  Mr. 
Stillman  in  a  slightly  humorous  tone. 

They  all  laughed  at  Mr.  Stillman's  remarks  excepting 
two  persons.  Mr.  Young  and  Marion  looked  at  each 
other  and  seemed  to  tacitly  say,  "Time  will  perhaps  tell." 

October  23d  the  yacht  left  Pitcairn's  bold,  rocky 
shores,  and  her  course  was  laid  north  of  west.  They  had 
a  fine  run,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  fourth  day  out 
Tahiti  was  sighted,  and  by  10  o'clock  that  forenoon  the 
Altair  was  at  anchor  in  the  picturesque  harbor  at  Papeete. 

Mr.  Young,  Marion  and  their  friends  went  ashore. 
The  objective  point  was  the  post-ofhce,  and  the  mail  in 
waiting  for  the  party  was  of  a  sufficient  quantity  to  nearly 
fill  an  ordinary  mail  bag.  It  seemed  that  everybody 
had  friends  at  home,  for  not  one  of  the  party  was  for- 
gotten. A  large  number  of  letters  were  also  deposited 
in  the  mail-box,  the  majority  of  which  were  addressed  to 
friends  living  in  the  metropolis  of  the  Empire  State. 

After  Mr.  Young  had  carefully  perused  all  of  his  letters 
he  said: 

"Well,  friends,  it  seems  that  no  news  has  reached  New 
York  from  him  for  whom  we  are  searching,  and,  there- 
fore, we  must  continue  our  voyage  on  the  plans  pre- 
viously laid  out." 

"Before  doing  so,  had  we  not  better  remain  here  a 
sufficient  length  of  time  to  make  our  presence  known. 
There  is  a  slight  likelihood  that  some  one  has  seen  your 
reward  notice,  who  has  news  for  you,"  said  Mr.  Stillman. 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  233 

"Oh,  most  assuredly,  we  will  remain  here  a  few  days," 
rejoined  Mr.  Young. 

Four  days  were  spent  at  Papeete,  but  no  one  came 
forward  with  the  least  scrap  of  information.  The  Tahi- 
tians  had,  by  no  means  forgotten  the  magnificent  reward 
offered  by  Mr.  Young,  but  they  knew  nothing  that  would 
erititle  them  to  the  money,  or  any  part  thereof. 

Meanwhile  the  voyagers  spent  their  time  walking  and 
driving  and  collecting  vegetables  and  fruits  for  consump- 
tion during  the  next  trip. 

Tuesday,  October  31st,  at  midday,  the  anchor  was 
weighed  and  the  Altair  moved  slowly  down  the  harbor, 
destined  for  the  Austral  islands.  She  had  but  just  cleared 
Taunos  Passage,  when  a  small  sc'hooner,  such  as  cruise 
among  these  islands,  was  met  heading  for  the  harbor. 
The  two  ships  were  coming  quite  near  together,  and 
Constance  called  the  captain's  attention  to  the  fact  that 
the  schooner  was  trying  to  intercept  the  yacht. 

"They  may  have  news  for  us,"  suggested  Marion. 

By  this  time  the  ships  were  within  speaking  distance, 
and  a  burly,  dark-featured  man,  who  was  apparently  the 
captain  of  the  craft,  placed  a  speaking  trumpet  to  his  lips 
and  said: 

"Parlez  vous  Francais?" 

"Oui,  monsieur.  Je  le  park  un  peu,"  shouted  back  Cap- 
tain Ashton. 

"What  ship  is  that?"  inquired  the  Frenchman,  for  such 
he  proved  to  be. 

"The  Altair  of  New  York,  U.  S.  A.,"  returned  the 
captain. 

"This  is  La  Republiqiie  of  Papeete,  Tahiti,  and  I  have 
what  I  think  will  be  news  of  importance  for  you,"  said  the 
captain  of  the  schooner. 

This  announcement  caused  a  flutter  of  excitement  on 
the  yacht,  for  they  could  not  but  think  it  was  something 
concerning  the  loss  of  the  Polynesia. 


234  FREDERICK    YOUNQ. 

"All  right,  lie  to,  and  I  will  return  and  anchor  near 
you,"  shouted  Captain  Ashton  as  the  two  vessels  passed 
each  other. 

The  yacht  was  brought  about  on  her  course  and  she 
was  soon  alongside  of  La  Republique,  which  was  evidently 
named  after  the  owner's  mother  country  far  across  the 
seas. 

The  French  captain  immediately  came  aboard,  and  he 
was  invited  into  the  saloon,  and  seated  in  a  comfortable 
plush  easy-chair.  He  was  a  rough-looking  sailor,  of  a 
thickset  form,  with  large,  square  jaws  and  a  Roman 
nose.  He  was  very  dark  complexioned  and  his  eyes 
were  sharp  and  piercing  in  expression.  His  hair  and 
bushy  black  beard  were  unkempt  and  neglected,  but, 
after  all,  the  face  taken  as  a  whole,  had  an  honest  ex- 
pression in  spite  of  its  roughness.  He  gave  his  name  ai 
Louis  Gauthier,  and  his  business — a  coaster  among  the 
South  Pacific  islands. 

Mr.  Young  said  to  the  Frenchman: 

"Do  you  know  for  what  purpose  we  are  cruising  in 
these  waters?" 

"I  do,  and  so  does  nearly  everybody  in  Polynesia. 
Your  reward  notices  have  been  read  by  hundreds  of  sail- 
ors, and  the  news  has  become  diffused  throughout  these 
islands,  and  no  doubt  but  that  it  has  reached  the  conti- 
nents ere  this." 

"Well,  have  you  anything  to  tell  us?  If  so,  please 
not  keep  us  all  in  suspense,"  said  Mr.  Young. 

"About  three  months  ago,"  commenced  the  French- 
man, "I  had  occasion  to  visit  Auckland,  New  Zealand, 
and  while  there  I  met  a  friend  who  had  been  down  to 
Mahaka,  on  Hawke  Bay,  and  there  he  accidentally  learned 
from  some  natives  that  a  life-boat  had  landed  between 
Mohaka  and  Napier,  and  not  far  from  Ahuriri  Harbor, 
a  little  over  a  year  previous.  This  boat  contained  three 
white  men,  and  they  were  seized  by  the  savages  and  taken 
into  the  interior  as  soon  as  they  stepped  on  the  beach. 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  235 

They  are  probably  held  as  slaves  at  the  present  time, 
unless  they  have  made  their  escape  or  have  been  ran- 
somed. Now,  my  friend,  who  is  a  Frenchman  by  the 
name  of  Adolphe  Duran,  lives  at  Auckland,  and  he  has 
heard  of  the  magnificent  reward  which  monsieur  offers 
for  his  lost  son ;  and  he — Adolphe — wanted  me  to  see  you 
and  direct  you  to  him,  or  leave  word  at  Papeete  so  it 
would  reach  you.  Subsequently  I  made  a  cruise  to 
Santo,  and  Mallicolla  islands  of  the  New  Hebrides 
group,  so  three  months  have  elapsed  since  I  saw  Adolphe, 
and  I  came  near  missing  the  Altair,  for  if  I  had  been  a 
few  hours  later  I  would  not  have  seen  you.  Adolphe 
has  not  said  anything  about  this  matter  to  anybody  but 
me,  as  he  wanted  to  get  your  reward,  if  the  white  men 
are  those  who  escaped  from  the  danger  attendant  upon 
the  wreck  of  the  Polynesia." 

Captain  Gauthier  spoke  in  good  Parisian  French,  and 
his  Hsteners  were  much  interested  and  also  agitated  at 
his  succinct  account  of  the  landing  and  the  capture. 

"Could  not  your  friend  learn  anything  further?"  in- 
quired Mr.  Young. 

"I  do  not  think  Adolphe  told  me  all,  but  I  am  quite 
sure  that  he  does  not  know  who  the  men  were,  nor 
from  whence  they  came,  but  he  thought  it  possible  that 
one  of  them  is  he  for  whom  you  search.  If  you  wish 
I  will  give  you  my  friend's  address,  and  you  can  go  to 
Auckland  and  interview  him  personally,"  said  Captain 
Gauthier. 

"Do  you  know  when  this  boat  went  ashore,  captain?" 
questioned  Mr.  Young. 

"If  I  remember  rightly  it  was  in  the  month  of  April, 
1881." 

"What  do  you  think,  friends?"  said  Mr.  Young  to  his 
companions,  who  had  been  silent  listeners  to  this  conver- 
sation, which  they  thought  perhaps  portended  so  much  to 
their  future  actions. 

"I  think,"  said  Mr.  Stillman,  "that  we  had  better  in- 


336  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

vestigate  this  matter.  These  three  men  landed  on  the 
New  Zealand  coa&t,  according  to  our  informant's  ac- 
count, just  about  the  right  time  to  have  come  from  the 
spot  where  the  Polynesia  was  lost.  It  is  possible  that 
Fred  was  one  of  their  number,  but  I  would  not  place  too 
much  reliance  on  that,  for  we  are  very  liable  to  disap- 
pointment. It  is  always  best  to  leave  the  better  part  of 
supposition  alone  until  it  has  been  verified." 

"I  am  sure  the  man  is  teUing  the  truth  about  this 
matter,  father,"  put  in  Constance. 

"He  may  be,  but  his  friend  may  have  conceived  this 
scheme  to  extort  money.  At  any  rate  I  would  advise 
that  we  move  cautiously  in  the  matter  and  not  rush  head- 
long into  any  skillfully  devised  trap,"  interposed  Captain 
Ashton. 

"And  what  does  Marion  think  about  it?"  inquired  Mr. 
Young,  turning  to  her  with  a  smile. 

Marion  made  a  beautiful  picture,  recHning  in  a  red 
silk  lounging  chair,  with  her  head  resting  on  one  slim, 
white  hand.  Her  dark  eyes  were  partly  veiled  by  her  long 
lashes,  and  her  glossy  hair,  which  inclined  to  curl,  had 
become  loosened,  and  it  fell  gracefully  over  her  hand 
and  shoulder.  To  complete  the  effect,  Prince  was  resting 
his  large  head  on  her  lap  and  looking  up  into  his  favorite's 
face. 

*T  suppose,  Mr.  Young,  that  we  ought  to  follow  up  this 
clue,  for  it  will  relieve  our  minds,  and  then  we  may  be  so 
fortunate  as  to  rescue  those  poor  unfortunate  men  from 
the  savages,"  replied  Marion. 

"Then  you  do  not  think,  Marion,  that  we  shall  find 
Fred  there?" 

"I  do  not.  I  believe  in  the  instinct  of  good  old  Prince, 
and  he  does  not  think  Fred  is  in  New  Zealand.  If  Fred 
is  ever  found  it  will  not  be  a  great  way  from  the  Taumotu 
Archipelago,"  replied  Marion,  stroking  the  noble  head 
of  the  St.  Bernard. 

"Why,  Marion,  I  thought  that  idea  had  been  aban- 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  237 

doned,  and  that  the  mysterious  behavior  of  Prince  had 
been  satisfactorily  accounted  for,"  said  her  mother. 

"The  explanation  at  Pitcairn's  Island  did  not,  by  any 
means  satisfy  me,"  Marion  returned  in  a  serious  tone. 

This  conversation  had  been  carried  on  in  English,  and 
the  French  captain  did  not  appear  to  understand  its  sig- 
nificance. 

Mr.  Young  looked  at  Marion  silently  and  thoughtfully 
for  a  few  seconds,  while  he  was  pondering  over  the  mat- 
ter, and  then  he  turned  to  Captain  Gauthier  again  and 
said: 

"Captain,  I  think  we  had  better  go  to  Auckland  and  see 
Adolphe  Duran." 

"It  will  be  best,  monsieur;  I  will  give  you  his  address," 
and  he  extracted  a  piece  of  paper  from  a  rather  dilapi- 
dated pocket-book,  and  handed  it  to  Mr.  Young.  It 
bore  the  requisite  directions,  written  in  a  cramped  style 
of  chirography. 

A  few  minutes  later  the  Frenchman  arose,  saying: 

"I  must  go;  I  want  to  anchor  at  Papeete  before  even- 
ing falls,  and  I  have  told  you  all  I  know  about  the  cast- 
aways." 

Mr.  Young  generously  rewarded  Captain  Gauthier  for 
his  kindness  and  they  parted.  Lxi  Rcpubliqiie  was  soon 
some  distance  away  entering  Taunos  Passage,  and  our 
voyagers  were  left  to  think  and  to  act. 

"Well,  captain,"  said  Mr.  Young,  "our  plans  have  been 
interfered  with,  and  our  thoughts  have  been  directed  into 
another  channel ;  so  we  must  abandon  the  Austral  islands, 
for  the  time  being,  and  turn  our  attention  to  New  Zealand. 
If  our  search  there  does  not  terminate  successfully,  we  will 
then  carry  out  the  line  of  work  from  which  we  are  now 
diverted." 

"Shall  we  sail  at  once  for  Auckland?"  inquired  the 
captain. 

"The  sooner  the  better,  captain,  and,  by  the  way,  do 


238  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

you  know  the  distance  from  this  point  to  our  new  des- 
tination?" 

"It  is  surely  2,000  and  possibly  2,300  miles." 

"Nearly  a  week  will  then  be  consumed  by  this  voyage," 
said  Mr.  Young-. 

"We  can  cover  that  distance  in  less  than  six  days,  bar- 
ring bad  weather  and  accidents,"  returned  the  captain. 

The  interview  with  the  Frenchman  had  detained  them 
two  hours,  but,  nevertheless,  before  night  had  cast  its 
Cimmerian  mantle  over  the  waters,  Tahiti,  and  even  the 
conspicuous  mountain  peak,  Orohena,  were  below  the 
northeastern  horizon.  The  Altair  had  a  fair  wind  so  the 
sails  were  set,  which  greatly  accelerated  the  speed  pro- 
duced by  the  twin  screws. 

Nearly  a  perfect  line  can  be  made  from  the  Society 
islands  to  Auckland,  and  the  course  necessarily  brought 
the  Altair  near  Cook's  islands,  or  the  Hervey  Archipelago 
as  they  are  sometimes  called.  This  group  was  sighted 
the  second  day  out,  late  in  the  afternoon,  and  it  was  de- 
cided to  pass  them  by  as  a  definite  clue  to  some  castaways 
had  now  been  obtained. 

This  cluster  of  islets  is  in  160'*  W.  Ion.,  and  about 
20°  S.  lat.  Cook  discovered  them  in  1777,  but  nothing 
was  done  toward  introducing  a  civilized  mode  of  life 
until  1823,  when  the  missionary,  John  Williams,  under- 
took to  diffuse  religious  knowledge  among  the  natives, 
who  belong  to  the  Malay  race.  Mangeia,  Raxatonga, 
Aitutake  and  Atiu,  which  comprise  some  300  square 
miles,  are  the  more  important  islands  of  the  group.  The 
natives  are  said  to  be  skilled  in  house  building  and  in 
manufacturing  their  utensils  and  wares,  which  are  numer- 
ous and  of  considerable  variety.  Water  is  very  scarce, 
and  this  is  a  serious  obstacle,  and  one  which  it  is  difficult 
to  overcome.  There  are  about  7,000  people  existing 
on  this  isolated  group,  and  their  villages  present  an  ex- 
ceedingly neat  and  well-kept  appearance. 

Before  morning  dawned  on  the  following  day,  the 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  239 

palm-covered  shores  of  these  interesting  islands  were  far 
astern.  A  clear  sky  and  a  moderately  calm  sea  were 
enjoyed  until  the  fourth  day  out,  when  the  western  sky 
became  obscured  with  dark  cumulous  clouds  and  the 
air  grew  humid  and  oppressive. 

The  captain  and  Mr.  Young  anxiously  examined  the 
barometer;  it  was  falling  fast. 

"Captain,  what  do  you  think?  Are  we  going  to  have 
a  storm?"  asked  Mr.  Young. 

"Everything  indicates  that  we  are  going  to  have  a 
severe  atmospheric  disturbance." 

"Of  what  nature?" 

"I  fear  an  electrical  hurricane.  We  are  now  on  the 
southern  border  of  the  cyclone  zone." 

"But,  captain,  I  understand  those  only  occur  between 
the  months  of  December  and  April." 

"They  are  liable  to  occur  a  little  out  of  season.  At 
home,  you  know,  tempests  are  usually  associated  with 
summer,  but  they  sometimes  occur  during  the  winter 
months." 

"Take  every  precaution  possible  to  guard  against  dan- 
ger from  wind  and  sea,"  said  Mr.  Young. 

Meanwhile  the  murky  clouds  passed  the  zenith  and 
left  the  whole  western  sky  an  ominous  mass  of  boiling 
vapor,  while  the  wind  freshened  and  in  a  short  time  it  was 
blowing  a  stiflf  gale;  in  fact,  it  fairly  whistled  through 
the  rigging.  The  gale  of  wind  soon  lashed  the  sea  into 
a  white  foam,  and  the  massive  waves  were  soon  dashing 
against  the  bow  of  the  yacht,  but  only  to  be  divided  by 
her  sharp  prow  and  reduced  to  spray  and  foam. 

Captain  Ashton  ordered  all  the  canvas  furled,  except- 
ing a  small  stay-sail  to  steady  the  ship.  He  had  the  deck 
cleared;  the  iron  hatches  securely  screwed  down,  and 
everything  in  general  put  in  ship-shape. 

As  the  wind  continued  to  increase  the  little  steamer 
rolled  and  pitched  as  she  never  had  before.  All  but  the 
crew  were  ordered  below,  as  it  became  unsafe  on  deck. 


240  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

« 

They  were  liable  to  be  swept  off  the  yacht  at  any  moment, 
for  the  billows  were  running  almost  mountain  high. 

The  captain  saw  their  danger;  it  would  not  do  to  hold 
their  present  diagonal  course,  so  he  instructed  the  pilot 
to  face  the  gale;  to  head  due  west.  At  the  same  time  the 
engines  were  slacked  by  order  of  the  commander. 

The  gallant  little  craft  held  her  own  nobly,  but  the 
strain  made  the  joints  and  seams  in  her  interior  snap  and 
crack  in  an  alarming  manner.  The  wind  continued  to 
blow  for  an  hour,  and  then  it  suddenly  increased  in  a 
furious  manner,  and  it  was  noticed  that  the  water  was 
frightfully  agitated.  Clouds,  water  and  air  seemed  to 
be  in  a  state  of  violent  concentricity.  Directly  ahead 
there  appeared  to  be  a  massive  foamy  cone  of  water. 
The  rotary  air  currents  seemed  to  have  heaped  the  water 
up,  so  to  speak,  and  as  those  on  deck  looked,  a  pendant, 
tapering,  whirling  mass  of  clouds,  or  partially  condensed 
vapor,  with  the  apex  down,  appeared  to  drop  from  the 
murky  clouds  and  connect  with  the  cone  of  water  on  the 
surface  of  the  sea.  This  appalling  phenomenon,  ap- 
parently, was  approaching  the  yacht.  An  encounter  with 
this  waterspout,  for  such  it  was,  might  prove  extremely 
disastrous  to  the  Altair. 

Captain  Ashton,  ever  ready  in  an  emergency,  sprang 
forward,  brought  the  brass  cannon  to  bear  on  the  ap- 
proaching vaporous  pillar  as  well  as  he  could,  and  dis- 
charged the  cannon.  His  intention  was  not  to  rupture 
the  spout  by  a  solid  shot,  but  to  break  the  column  by  the 
concussion  of  the  air  molecules,  which  would  be  caused 
by  the  detonation.  The  project  failed;  the  waterspout 
still  continued  to  aoproach,  and  unbroken.  The  pilot 
then  rang  on  a  full  head  of  steam  and  tried  to  steer  clear 
of  the  danger,  by  the  captain's  order.  The  attempt  was 
useless;  the  rotary  cones  were  moving  along  the  line  of 
progression  too  swiftly.  The  waterspout  was  not  over 
five  rods  from  the  yacht,  when  a  blinding  flash  of  green- 
ish-blue electrical  fluid  descended  the  pillar  of  vapor,  and 


FREDERICK    YOUNG,  ^  241 

the  waterspout  was  shattered,  as  it  were,  while  a  deafening 
crash  of  thunder  simultaneously  resounded  over  the  sea. 

After  the  flash  the  whirlwind  came  on,  although  the 
connection  between  clouds  and  sea  was  broken.  It 
swept  over  the  deck  with  unparalleled  violence;  the 
yacht  careened  fearfully,  the  sailors  had  all  they  could 
do  to  hold  on  to  whatever  they  chose  for  a  support,  with 
both  hands;  below  they  thought  the  Altair  was  doomed; 
and  to  cap  the  climax  the  mainmast  was  snapped  oflf  like 
a  reed,  and  as  it  fell  into  the  turbulent  sea  the  monstrous 
waves  caught  it  and  ripped  oflf  the  halyards  and  back- 
stays. The  yacht  was  then  in  a  perilous  position;  she 
was  in  the  midst  of  the  massive  boiling  waves,  which  were 
the  remains  of  the  water-cone,  and  the  captain  feared 
that  the  Altair  was  lost;  that  she  would  be  swamped  by 
the  force  of  the  conflicting  elements. 

"Forward  lively,  lads,  or  we  are  lost!"  the  captain 
shouted  above  the  din  and  confusion. 

Eight  strong  seaman  followed  their  commander  to  the 
bow,  where  he  had  caused  four  barrels  to  be  lashed  when 
the  storm  was  first  coming  on.  They  cut  the  ropes, 
grappled  the  barrels  and  slung  them  over  the  rails.  They 
swung  so  violently  on  the  tackle  that  the  sailors  could 
hardly  manage  them,  but  the  captain  was  ready  with  an 
axe  and  at  an  opportune  second  he  smashed  in  the  barrel 
heads,  and  in  much  less  time  than  it  can  be  told,  four  bar- 
rels of  oil  were  emptied  on  the  boisterous  sea.  The  effect 
was  magical;  the  yacht  was  almost  at  a  standstill;  the 
oil  spread  over  the  ocean  around  the  ship ;  the  sea  became 
comparatively  calm;  the  thoughtfulness  of  the  com- 
m_ander  had  saved  the  Altair.  Everbody  thought  she  was 
doomed,  but  the  unctuous  fluid  allayed  the  anger  of  the 
ruffled  water,  and  proved  to  be  the  salvation  of  the  expe- 
dition. A  second  after  the  electrical  discharge  and  the 
rupture  of  the  waterspout,  rain  descended  in  torrents, 
and  the  flashes  of  lightning  and  the  roaring,  crashing 
and  crackling  of  thunder  were  incessant.    The  falling  of 


242  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

this  deluge  of  condensed  moisture  was  instrumental  in 
extricating  the  yacht  from  her  great  difficulty.  The 
water  laden  air  not  only  greatly  mitigated  the  force  of 
the  wind,  but  it  materially  leveled  the  sea;  that  is,  it 
militated  against  the  force  of  the  waves  and  calmed  the 
water  to  a  remarkable  extent. 

It  had  been  a  terrible  ordeal  for  those  confined  below, 
for  the  motion  and  noise  seemed  much  greater  in  the 
cabins  than  they  did  on  deck.  Every  giant  wave  that 
struck  the  yacht  made  her  shiver  from  stem  to  stern,  and 
this,  coupled  with  the  rolling,  pitching,  creaking  and  the 
screeching  of  the  wind  through  the  rigging,  caused  a  din 
and  tumult  that  were  almost  terrifying.  To  be  confined 
between  decks  when  it  was  uncertain  whether  the  ship 
would  outride  the  gale,  or  go  to  the  bottom  of  the 
Pacific,  was  indeed,  not  one  of  the  pleasantest  things 
in  the  world  to  contemplate.  But  the  captain  was  justi- 
fied in  giving  stringent  orders  regarding  the  matter  of 
remaining  below,  for  now  they  were  all  alive,  but  if  they 
had  been  on  deck  some  might  have  been  swept  away  by 
wind  or  sea,  or  injured  by  the  falling  mast.  The  sailors, 
even,  had  to  lash  themselves  to  the  bulwarks  or  some 
stationary  object  to  prevent  being  washed  overboard. 

This  hurricane  was  the  most  severe  that  the  voyagers 
had  encountered  during  the  search,  and  the  Altair  had 
been  used  very  roughly.  Her  rigging  and  sails  were 
badly  damaged  and  one  mast  was  lost;  it  would  be  ne- 
cessary for  her  to  undergo  repairs  at  Auckland. 

The  passengers  had  missed  the  wonderful  phenomena 
produced  by  the  conflicting  elements,  and  the  gentlemen 
when  told  of  the  waterspout  and  the  electrical  display, 
expressed  their  regrets  that  they  could  not  have  wit- 
nessed the  unusual  spectacle. 

"Never  mind,  my  friends,  you  shall  see  them  in  a  few 
days,"  said  Captain  Ashton,  smiling. 

"What  do  you  mean,  captain?    Is  it  possible  that  you 


FREDERICK    YOU  NO.  243 

expect  a  repetition  of  this  cyclone?"  Mr.  Young  anx- 
iously inquired. 

"While  on  deck  I  did  not  forget  my  snap-shot  camera, 
and  the  film  now  has  a  dozen  or  more  pictures  of  the 
waterspout  and  the  accompanying  phenomena  thereon 
impressed;  and  when  I  develop  and  mount  these  pic- 
tures, I  expect  to  have  a  remarkable  series  to  add  to  my 
collection." 

"Captain,  I  not  only  thank  you  for  saving  the  Altair 
and  the  expedition,  but  I  also  congratulate  you  for  your 
phlegmatic  temperament  and  your  remarkable  fore- 
thought and  presences  of  mind,"  returned  Mr.  Young, 
grasping  the  captain's  hand. 


244  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

TO     THE     INTERIOR. 

On  the  following  morning  the  storm  had  entirely 
passed,  but  the  sea  still  ran  high  and  it  continued  to  do 
so  all  that  day,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  wind 
had  nearly  ceased  blowing. 

November  6th,  Great  Barrier  Island,  which  lies  at  the 
east  entrance  of  Hauraki  Gulf,  on  which  the  city  of  Auck- 
land is  built,  was  sighted.  A  few  hours  after  sighting  the 
north  island,  Hauraki  Gulf  had  been  crossed,  Waiheki 
Island  passed,  and  the  yacht  then  entered  Waitemata 
Harbor.  Auckland,  the  capital  of  the  province  bearing 
the  same  name,  is  located  on  the  south  shore  of  the 
harbor,  and  the  city  looms  up  advantageously  to  those 
who  approach  it  by  water. 

The  city  is  surrounded  by  small  villages  or  suburbs, 
and  just  across  the  peninsular  lies  the  prosperous  port 
of  Manukau,  on  the  harbor  of  the  same  name.  Among 
the  more  prominent  buildings  of  Auckland,  are  the  man- 
sion of  the  governor,  the  cathedral,  Auckland  college 
and  grammar  school  and  many  other  notable  structures. 

It  was  3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  before  the  Altair  came 
to  anchor  near  the  extremity  of  the  wharf,  which  extends 
about  1,690  feet  into  the  harbor.  This  massive  struc- 
ture, which  represents  no  small  amount  of  labor  and  en- 
gineering skill,  enables  quite  sizable  vessels  to  land  their 
cargoes.  Considerable  shipping  was  to  be  seen  around 
the  city,  and  a  number  of  non-colonial  ships  were  noticed 
loading,  and  others  were  discharging  their  cargoes. 

Night  was  near  at  hand,  and  as  a  consequence  it  was 
deemed  best  to  postpone  going  ashore  until  the  next 
morning.  The  passengers,  after  supper,  came  out  on  deck 


FREDERICK    YOUNQ.  ^45 

and  formed  a  sociable  group  aft.  It  was  very  refreshing 
this  cool,  equable  New  Zealand  climate,  after  spending 
several  months  among  the  islands  of  the  torrid  zone. 
They  were  really  again  in  a  country  whose  cUmate  was 
analagous  to  that  of  their  native  state;  they  were  south 
of  the  imaginary  Hne  of  demarkation  known  as  the  tropic 
of  Capricorn,  and  consequently  in  the  south  temperate 
zone.  In  other  words  and  to  be  more  precise,  they  now 
were  in  36°  51'  S.  lat.  and  174°  50'  E.  long. 

On  this  particular  evening  the  sky  was  very  blue  and 
clear,'  only  a  few  fleecy-white  clouds  being  visible,  and 
those  that  occupied  the  western  portion  of  the  landscape 
had  their  edges  fringed  with  gold,  as  they  were  bathed 
in  the  last  rays  of  the  setting  sun.  A  cool,  salt  breeze 
blew  down  the  gulf,  and  as  evening  came  on  the  voyagers 
found  that  wraps  and  thin  overcoats  were  once  more 
welcome.  During  the  past  few  months  they  had  fallen 
into  desuetude. 

When  these  people  wanted  any  information  concern- 
ing animated  nature,  they  had  but  to  apply  to  Captain 
Ashton;  he  was  well  informed  on  all  those  things  per- 
taining to  the  birds  and  mammals  of  the  mountains,  plains 
and  forests,  as  well  as  the  denizens  of  the  deep  sea.  When 
they  wished  to  learn  of  the  country  they  were  to  visit, 
and  of  the  people  that  inhabit  it,  they — the  voyagers — 
naturally  asked  Mr.  Stillman,  as  he  was  uncommonly 
well  read  on  those  subjects.  So  this  evening  Mrs.  Young 
was  desirous  of  learning  of  the  city  and  the  people  they 
were  to  visit  on  the  morrow,  as  well  as  of  the  surround- 
ing country. 

"Mr.  Stillman,  will  you  please  tell  us  something  about 
this  city  and  the  country  we  are  now  gazing  upon?"  she 
asked. 

"The  city  of  Auckland,"  he  began,  "is  located  in  the 
northern  part  of  a  large  province  also  called  Auckland. 
This  province  bas  an  area  of  17,000,000  acres,  but  11,275,- 
000  are  still  retained  by  the  natives,  or  Maoris,  as  they 


246  FREDERICK    YOUNQ. 

are  called.  The  white  people,  however,  keep  buying 
tracts  of  this  land  at  small  prices,  and  thus  the  govern- 
ment becomes  the  possessor  of  large  areas  from  year  to 
year,  just  as  we  have  in  purchasing  from  the  Indians 
in  the  States.  Within  the  borders  of  Auckland  there  are 
large  fertile  plains,  swamps,  fern-heath,  mountain 
ranges;  volcanic  districts  which  are  not  mountainous, 
but  their  peculiar  characteristics  have  become  famous 
throughout  the  world;  richly-wooded  jungles  and  rocky 
plateaus.  The  country  is  well  favored  with  coastwise 
indentations,  which  afford  many  excellent  harbors,  and 
the  interior  is  drained  by  many  water  courses,  some 
being  navigable  rivers.  The  largest  stream  is  the  Wai- 
kato,  which  has  its  source  in  Taupo  Lake,  in  the  central 
part  of  the  island.  Unfortunately  the  mouth  of  this 
great  river  is  encumbered  with  sandbars,  which  will  not 
allow  large  ships  to  pass.  The  city  which  now  lies  before 
us  was  founded  in  1840  by  Governor  Hobson,  and  up  to 
1865  it  was  the  seat  of  Government  which  was  then 
changed  to  Wellington.  The  census  of  1871  returned 
the  population  of  the  city  proper  as  12,937,  and  with  the 
suburbs  added  as  18,000;  and  I  think  there  are  now  some 
21,000  people  including  the  rural  and  urban  inhabitants." 
When  morning  dawned  over  these  New  Zealand 
shores,  which  were  extremely  varied  in  character,  the 
captain  landed,  charged  with  the  commission  of  securing 
a  competent  ship-carpenter  to  make  the  necessary  repairs 
on  the  Altair.  Captain  Ashton  was  absent  but  few 
hours,  when  he  returned  accompanied  by  one  of  the  most 
expert  workmen,  in  this  particular  line  of  business,  to  be 
found  in  the  city.  The  carpenter,  after  a  careful  inspec- 
tion of  the  ship's  injuries,  made  the  announcement  that 
he  could  make  all  needed  repairs  in  eight  or  ten  days' 
time.  This  gentleman  happened  to  have  sticks  on  hand 
from  which  he  could  work  a  new  mainmast  and  the  ne- 
cessary spars,  so  considerable  time  would  be  saved 
thereby. 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  247 

The  contract  was  finally  given  to  the  builder,  and  he 
agreed  to  be  as  expeditious  as  possible;  and  he  asserted 
that  he  could  command  the  services  of  a  large  corps  of 
workmen,  and  he  would  engage  them  at  once.  This 
would  greatly  facilitate  matters. 

While  Captain  Ashton  was  making  these  arrange- 
ments, Messrs.  Young  and  Stillman  were  no  less  busy. 
They  went  up  to  the  city  accompanied  by  the  ladies,  and 
hunted  up  Adolphe  Duran,  whom  they  had  little  trouble 
in  locating.  He  was  a  man  in  whom  one  would  not 
hesitate  to  place  considerable  confidence.  There  was  an 
honest  expression  on  his  broad,  open  countenance, 
which  led  the  Americans  to  believe  implicitly  in  him. 
The  general  appearance  of  this  man  was  decidedly 
French ;  he  was  of  a  medium  height,  thickset  and  strong ; 
his  hair,  mustache  and  side  whiskers  were  dark,  but 
just  beginning  to  be  intermixed  with  gray;  his  eyes  were 
dark,  and  they  could  at  times  appear  fiery;  his  prominent 
nose  was  surmounted  by  a  broad,  high  and  full  forehead. 

Adolphe  seemed  to  be  much  surprised  and  pleased  to 
see  Mr.  Young  and  learn  who  he  was.  After  the  pre- 
liminary inquiries  had  been  made  on  both  sides,  Mr. 
Young  came  to  the  point  and  the  Frenchman  told  the 
following  story,  which  in  substance  they  already  knew 
through  Louis  Gauthier. 

"The  middle  of  April  last,"  Adolphe  began,  "I  went 
down  to  the  town  called  Mohaka,  which  lies  on  the  south 
bank  of  a  small  river  bearing  the  same  name.  While 
there  I  mingled  considerably  with  the  Maoris,  and  a 
young  native  became  very  friendly  with  me,  and  he  told 
me  many  things  which  his  more  reticent  companions 
would  have  withheld.  He  told  me  that  during  a  heavy 
storm,  when  the  waves  were  beaten  to  a  white  foam  on 
the  beach  of  Hawke  Bay,  sometime  previous,  a  life-boat 
containing  three  white  men  was  thrown  ashore,  and  that 
a  tribe  of  Maoris  immediately  seized  them  and  their 
effects.     None  were  harmed  to  his  knowledge,  and  I 


248^  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

afterwards  learned  that  the  tribe  who  captured  the  three 
men  lived  in  the  interior,  near  the  Taupo  Lake  region, 
and  that  they  had  returned  there  and  taken  their  prisoners 
with  them.  Upon  my  asking  what  would  be  their  fate, 
I  was  told  that  they  would  either  be  used  as  slaves  or 
killed  and  eaten.  In  all  probabihty  they  would  be  made 
to  work  for  their  captors,  as  cannibalism  is  not  now  gen- 
erally in  vogue.  When  it  is  practiced  it  is  usually  done 
to  satisfy  vindictiveness  engendered  by  tribal  discord. 
In  this  case  there  appeared  to  be  no  enmity,  so  undoubt- 
edly plunder  was  the  object  of  the  natives.  Further  in- 
quiries elicited  the  fact,  that  the  life-boat  had  been  de- 
stroyed, so  no  trace  was  left  near  the  coast  of  the  captives 
or  their  boat.  I  could  not  learn  who  the  white  men 
were,  nor  from  whence  they  came;  neither  could  I  obtain 
a  reliable  description  of  them." 

When  Adolphe  had  finished,  Mr.  Young  remained 
silent  for  a  moment,  as  also  did  his  companions.  He 
was  thinking  if  Fred  was  one  of  those  three,  what  a  hor- 
rible fate  he  had  perhaps  already  met.  Possibly  his 
flesh  had  been  stripped  from  his  bones  and  eaten  by  those 
bloodthirsty  demons  in  the  guise  of  men;  incarnate 
fiends  rather  than  human  beings.  The  poor  old  man 
trembled  as  he  thought  of  his  lost  boy,  and  the  question 
flashed  across  his  mind:  "If  Fred  died  a  cruel  death  at 
the  hands  of  these  cannibals,  would  it  not  have  been 
better  for  me  to  have  remained  at  home  and  died  in  ig- 
norance of  it?  But,  then,  if  Fred  does  live,  he  should  be 
rescued,  and  I  must  push  on  to  the  last  and  find  him! 
It  is  no  time  to  back  out  now,  I  must  persevere  in  the 
search  and  know  the  worst!" 

All  present  were  more  or  less  affected  by  this  news, 
and  it  made  Marion  feel  heart-sick  to  think  of  it. 

Mr.  Young  at  last  broke  the  silence. 

"Do  you  think,"  he  said  to  Adolphe,  "that  it  will  be 
possible  to  find  the  tribe  who  took  these  white  men. 
prisoners?" 


FREDERICK    YOUNQ.  249 

"The  name  of  the  chief  of  that  tribe  was  Reihana,  and 
I  think  he  can  be  found  if  he  still  Uves." 

"Are  you  acquainted  with  the  country  around  Taupo 
Lake?"  questioned  Mr.  Young, 

"I  have  been  near  the  lake  many  times, monsieur, and  I 
am  quite  familiar  with  the  whole  interior  of  this  North 
Island." 

"If  we  decide  to  form  a  party,  march  into  the  interior 
and  search  for  the  three  captives,  will  you  accompany  and 
guide  us,  Adolphe?" 

"With  pleasure,  monsieur"  earnestly  responded 
Adolphe. 

"And  what  route  would  you  advise  us  to  take?" 

"There  are  so  many  routes  to  the  great  lake  that  I  am 
at  a  loss  which  one  to  advise  monsieur  to  take." 

Mr.  Stillman  at  this  juncture  produced  an  excellent 
map  of  the  island,  and  Mr.  Young  requested  Adolphe  to 
point  out  the  routes  from  the  coast  to  the  big  lake. 

"The  one  that  travelers  follow  a  great  deal  is  the  road 
which  runs  from  Bowen,  on  the  Bay  of  Plenty,  across  the 
country  to  the  east  shore  of  Taupo  Lake,  and  thence 
over  the  highlands  to  Napier  on  Hawke  Bay.  You  can 
reach  the  interior  by  this  road  from  either  Bowen  or 
Napier.  Travelers  also  often  follow  up  the  Waikato 
River  from  its  mouth  to  where  it  forms  the  outlet  of  the 
lake,  and  still  others  go  overland  from  Auckland.  There 
are  many  other  routes,  monsieur,  but  the  first  two  named, 
in  my  estimation,  are  the  best." 

"What  is  your  idea?"  said  Mr.  Young,  addressing 
Messrs.  Stillman  and  Ashton. 

"I  would  advise  you  to  go  to  Napier  and  learn  anything 
further  that  is  possible  concerning  this  sad  affair,  and  then 
follow  up  the  course  taken  by  the  natives  until  we  find 
Chief  Reihana,  and  then  demand  the  prisoners  from  him," 
Messrs.  Stillman  and  Ashton. 

"I  also  advise  the  same  plan,  simply  adding  that  if 


250  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

Reihana  does  not  accede  to  our  request,  we  take  the  cap- 
tives by  force,"  said  the  captain. 

"That  is  the  correct  thing,  gentlemen,  and  I  think  it 
will  be  far  better  for  us  to  start  at  the  point  where  the 
seizure  was  made,  and  where  they  started  for  the  interior 
with  their  captives,"  said  Mr.  Young. 

It  was  finally  settled  that  Adolphe  Duran  was  to  ac- 
company the  expedition  as  guide  and  interpreter,  for  he 
had  been  among  the  Maoris  so  much  during  the  past  that 
he  had  become  quite  familiar  with  their  language.  He 
also  understood  their  habits  of  life,  mode  of  warfare,  etc., 
and  his  services  would,  without  doubt,  be  of  great  ad- 
vantage to  the  searching  party. 

Captain  Ashton  hurried  the  carpenters,  and  the  repairs 
on  the  Altair,  in  consequence,  progressed  more  rapidly 
than  had  been  previously  anticipated.  One  week  after 
arrival  the  yacht  was  pronounced  ready  for  sea;  she  was 
once  again  in  perfect  order. 

Tuesday,  November  14th,  the  Altair  weighed  anchor 
at  daybreak,  and  steamed  out  of  Waitemata  Harbor  and 
entered  the  gulf.  Their  destination  was  Napier,  and  all 
on  board  seemed  cheerful  and  happy  with  expectancy. 
It  seemed  to  them  that  the  crisis  of  the  long  suspense  was 
near  at  hand. 

By  8  o'clock  that  morning  the  fleet  yacht  had  crossed 
the  gulf,  passed  through  the  entrance,  or  exit  in  this 
instance,  between  Great  Barrier  Island  and  Cape  Col- 
ville,  and  laid  her  course  to  the  southeast,  toward  East 
Cape  and  across  the  Bay  of  Plenty. 

The  moment  that  the  bow  swung  around  on  this 
course,  one  individual  on  board  made  his  presence  known 
by  his  joyful  vociferations.  Yes,  Prince  began  to  gam- 
bol and  bark  in  delight.  He  attracted  everybody's  at- 
tention. The  sailors  shook  their  heads  ominously  when- 
ever these  mysterious  demonstrations  took  place.  They 
were  somewhat  superstitious,  as  nearly  all  tars  are,  and, 
consequently,  the  actions  of  Prince  troubled  them.    They 


FREDERICK    YOU  NO.  251 

thought  the  dog  must  be  actuated  by  some  occult  power, 
and  that  it  portended  no  good  for  the  ship. 

Marion  feared  that  her  pet  would  suffer,  as  a  conse- 
quence, and  to  prevent  his  being  harmed  she  kept  close 
watch  of  him  by  day,  and  by  night  he  had  to  remain 
below, 

"Poor  old  Prince,"  she  said  to  him  one  day,  "your 
superior  knowledge  or  instinct  is  detrimental  to  your 
welfare,  as  it  often  is  to  human  beings." 

At  8  o'clock  in  the  evening  Cape  East  was  doubled 
and  the  course  was  then  laid  a  point  west  of  south,  which 
fact  Marion  became  cognizant  of  by  a  peculiar  mourning 
noise  which  issued  from  the  St.  Bernard. 

Marion  spent  many  hours  pondering  over  this  strange 
subject,  and  sometimes  she  would  seek  Mr.  Young  and 
reveal  her  thoughts  and  fancies  to  him,  but  at  the  end 
of  these  interviews  they  would  be  as  far  from  a  definite 
conclusion  as  when  they  began.  No  tangible  explana- 
tion could  be  advanced;  it  was  still  an  unfathomable 
mystery.  At  Pitcairn's  Island  Prince  was  attracted  to 
the  southwest,  and  at  this  point  he  seemed  to  want  to  go 
east  or  possibly  southeast.  What  could  it  mean?  Was 
it  possible  that  he  did  really  want  to  go  home?  That 
might  be  it  after  all. 

Early  the  next  morning  a  large  whale  was  sighted  less 
than  a  mile  to  the  leeward,  but  the  Altair  did  not  swerve 
from  her  course;  her  passengers  were  not  searching  for 
these  mammoth  cetaceans.  Thousands  of  parti-colored 
sea-birds  gracefully  wheeled  over  these  waters  on  untir- 
ing wings;  and  an  occasional  wolf  of  the  sea  would  be 
enticed  to  the  surface,  but  he  would  only  look  at  the 
numerous  birds  with  greedy  eyes;  they  were  beyond 
the  grasp  of  his  merciless  jaws. 

When  the  orb  of  day  began  to  disperse  the  darkness 
of  the  night,  the  rugged  shore  of  Hawke  Bay  County 
was  looming  up  just  ahead.  The  Altair  had  run  under 
easy  steam  during  the  night,  as  Captain  Ashton  did  not 


252  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

want  to  enter  Ahuriri  Harbor  until  daybreak.  The 
shores  are  dangerous  and  the  Hght-houses  few  and  far 
between.  About  sunrise  the  yacht  entered  the  roadstead, 
and  she  came  to  anchor  one  and  a  quarter  miles  west  of 
Napier;  the  point  from  which  the  Americans  were  to 
depart  for  the  interior. 

At  breakfast  Marion  asked  her  father  about  the  town 
and  he  gave  the  following  description  of  it: 

"Napier  is  the  chief  town  in  this  section,  and  it  was 
named  after  Sir  Charles  James  Napier,  an  acknowledged 
hero  of  a  family  of  heroes.  I  must  say,  however,  that 
some  of  his  actions,  in  my  estimation,  were  far  from 
laudable;  they  evidenced  a  soul  more  animal  than  human. 
Especially  his  attack  on  the  Baluch  army  during  the 
absence  of  Col.  Outram;  he  seemed  determined  from  the 
first  to  conquer  and  subdue  the  Ameers,  and  he  suc- 
ceeded in  doing  so.  But  to  return  to  my  subject,  Napier 
is  built  on  a  peninsular  locally  called  Scinde  Island.  The 
town  is  located  in  39°  29'  S.  lat._,  176°  44'  E.  long.,  and 
200  miles  by  water  from  Wellington.  The  village  proper, 
as  you  have,  without  doubt  noticed,  lies  along  the  low- 
land near  the  harbor,  while  the  residences  of  the  more 
wealthy  people  mostly  occupy  the  more  hilly  country  to 
the  north.  There  were  a  number  of  stagnant  salt  lagoons 
at  the  south  margin  of  the  village,  but  these  have  been 
reclaimed  and  utilized.  The  census  of  last  year  returned 
the  number  of  dwelling  houses  as  1,300,  and  the  inhabi- 
tants numbered  5,756,  which  represents  a  municipal  area 
of  879  acres.  Napier  is  the  emporium  of  a  large  agri- 
cultural and  pastoral  area;  the  bishop  of  Waiapu  is  sta- 
tioned here,  and  the  town  returns  a  member  to  the  New 
Zealand  House  of  Representatives." 

At  9  o'clock  the  passengers,  accompanied  by  Adolphe, 
went  ashore,  and  thev  made  immediate  preparations  for 
a  journey  inland.  The  guide  obtained  the  services  of 
six  trustworthy  Maoris  for  the  expedition,  also  quite  good 
horses  for  the  entire  party,  which  tvas  to  consist  of  seven- 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  253 

teen  persons.  Mr.  Young  provided  a  repeating  rifle  for 
each  member  of  his  force,  and  some  were  to  be  armed 
with  revolvers  and  swords,  so  they  would  be  a  formidable 
band  for  aggressive  natives  to  encounter. 

Great  care  was  exercised  in  selecting  provisions  for  the 
trip.  Nutritiousness  in  the  most  concentrated  form  was 
the  main  point  to  be  taken  into  consideration,  in  order 
that  excessive  weight  might  be  avoided.  The  attention 
paid  to  this  part  of  the  preparations  culminated  success- 
fully, for  when  the  expedition  was  ready  to  start  each 
individual  was  encumbered  with  but  about  thirty  pounds 
extra  weight. 

It  was  arranged  that  all  but  seven  of  the  crew  were  to 
form  part  of  the  expedition  inland;  this  seven,  under  the 
command  of  the  first  mate,  were  to  remain  on  the  yacht 
to  protect  the  ladies  during  the  gentlemen's  absence. 

Taupo  Lake  is  but  seventy  miles  from  Napier,  so  the 
journey  ought  to  be  made  in  two  days,  and  the  guide  ex- 
pected to  reach  there  in  that  time. 

Adolphe's  story  was  confirmed  by  several  natives, 
whom  Mr.  Young  closely  questioned,  but  no  new  facts 
could  be  learned.  The  tribe,  of  which  Reihana  was  chief, 
it  was  ascertained,  had  its  village  on  the  lake,  and  about 
four  miles  west  of  the  point  where  the  lake  overflows  into 
the  Waikato  River,  so  the  guide  did  not  anticipate  much 
trouble  in  finding  the  savages.  The  one  who  furnished 
this  information  had  visited  the  lake  region  some  six 
months  previous,  but  he  knew  nothing  of  the  white  cap- 
tives. 

On  the  following  morning,  which  was  Thursday,  No- 
vember nth,  the  little  cavalcade  filed  out  of  Napier  and 
entered  the  rough,  hilly  country  hrough  which  the  road 
to  Taupo  Lake  meanders.  The  leave  taking  of  the  loved 
ones  on  the  Altair,  occurred  before  the  break  of  day. 
Many  touching  caresses  and  heart-felt  good  wishes  were 
exchanged,  and  as  the  launch  steamed  away  for  the 
beach  many  silent  tears  were  shed  on  deck. 


254  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

It  was  a  beautiful  morning,  and  it  was  neither  too  hot 
nor  too  cold.  In  fact,  it  was  a  characteristic  New  Zea- 
land morning,  for  North  Island  has  a  very  salubrious 
climate.  It  is  said  that  the  variation  in  temperature 
throughout  the  year  does  not  average  over  twenty  de- 
grees. The  equatorial  winds  almost  constantly  impinge, 
and  the  rain  falls  frequently.  Droughts  are  extremely 
rare,  although  localities  vary  considerably.  For  instance, 
the  north  half  of  the  island  has  a  very  even  temperature, 
while  the  south  is  very  changeable.  Also  the  west  coast 
has  a  nicer  climate  than  the  east,  there  being  several 
degrees  difference  in  the  mean  temperature. 

When  Napier  had  been  left  behind  by  the  Americans 
and  their  native  allies,  a  sharp  trot  was  struck  up  by  the 
horses,  and  it  was  maintained  for  several  hours.  Adolphe 
and  Captain  Ashton  led  side  by  side,  where  the  width  of 
the  rough  road  would  permit.  Mr.  Young  and  Mr.  Still- 
man  came  next,  followed  by  the  natives,  while  the  sailors 
brought  up  the  rear.  It  was  feared  that  the  natives 
might  become  intimidated  and  desert  the  expedition, 
which  would  be  an  unlucky  occurrence,  so  the  tars  were 
placed  behind  them  to  prevent  such  a  mishap. 

The  way  led  through  vast  tracts  of  forest  land ;  massive 
tree  trunks  loomed  up  on  every  hand,  draped  with  creep- 
ing vines  and  lichens ;  bush  fringed  the  pathway,  innumer- 
able mosquitoes  were  driven  from  their  coverts,  and  they 
were,  if  such  a  thing  were  possible,  more  bloodthirsty 
than  the  sand  flies  which  had  been  encountered  in  swarms  ' 
the  previous  day  on  and  around  Ahuriri  Harbor.  Harm- 
less brown  lizards  scampered  under  foot,  while  their 
green  congeners  did  likewise  among  the  branches  over- 
head, much  to  the  terror  of  the  superstitious  Maoris,  It 
is  strange  but  true,  that  the  natives  utterly  ignore  the 
ground  lizard,  but  the  green  variety,  which  lives  among 
the  boughs  of  the  trees,  strikes  terror  to  the  Maori's 
heart. 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  355 

"These  are  remarkably  fine  trees,"  the  captain  said  to 
Mr.  Stillman  as  the  horses  came  to  a  walk. 

"They  are,  indeed,"  he  replied.  "It  is  a  well  known 
fact  that  the  arboreous  productions  of  this  island  are  as 
rich  as  those  of  any  country  in  the  world.  Many  of  these 
trees  are  very  valuable  for  building  purposes,  and  as  a 
consequence  these  magnificent  forests  are  rapidly  disap- 
pearing before  the  rapid  inroads  of  the  woodsman's  axe. 
The  decrease  is  hastened  by  forest  fires,  and  by  waste- 
ful and  reckless  consumption.  It  is  remarkable  that  out 
of  a  flora  of  about  i,ooo  species,  113  of  them  are  timber- 
producing  trees." 

As  they  moved  along  the  umbrageous  road,  many  fine 
specimens  of  the  hauri  tree  were  seen  with  butts  from  five 
to  twelve  feet  in  diameter,  and  reaching  a  height  of 
150  feet.  This  is  one  of  the  most  valuable  trees  to  be 
found  in  New  Zealand,  and  it  has  been  exported  for 
years  to  be  used  in  making  masts  for  ships.  Other 
majestic  and  stately  trees  seen  were  the  totara,  matai, 
New  Zealand  teak,  tea-tree,  sandalwood,  and  many  other 
kinds.  The  native  flax,  which  is  a  very  useful  article, 
grows  in  great  profusion.  The  lily-like  flowers  grow  on 
stalks  ten  or  twelve  feet  high,  and  the  long,  narrow  leaves 
are  said  to  be  very  valuable,  as  the  natives  produce  an  ex- 
cellent substitute  for  rope  or  string  from  them.  Their 
fiber  is  long  and  very  tough.  The  natives  use  this  natural 
product  for  constructing  mats,  fishing  nets,  etc.,  while 
large  quantities  are  prepared  for  exportation. 

Adolphe  pointed  out  a  tree  in  which  a  lot  of  bees  had 
made  their  home,  and  if  the  party  could  have  spared  time 
a  large  quantity  of  wild  honey  might  have  been  obtained, 
but  under  the  circumstances  hey  must  not  delay. 
Adolphe  said  he  had  taken  250  pounds  of  honey  from 
one  tree,  and  if  one  had  time  tons  might  be  collected,  for 
the  woods  fairly  swarm  with  bees.  Several  species  of 
enormous  dragon-flies  destroy  countless  numbers  of  these 
honey-producing    insects.    The    dragon-flies    especially 


356  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

desire  the  bees  when  they  are  laden  with  honey,  and  the 
flies  are  intelligent  enough  to  bite  off  the  sting  before 
eating  their  sweet  captives. 

At  midday  the  party  halted  for  rest  and  lunch,  both  of 
which  were  enjoyed  reclining  among  the  dense  under- 
growth of  indigenous  ferns  and  other  cryptogramic 
plants.  The  New  Zealand  pigeons  and  the  kaka  of  the 
Maoris  made  things  lively  overhead.  The  latter  bird  was 
a  species  of  parrot.  The  upper  parts  were  olive-brown, 
each  feather  being  tipped  with  a  darker  shade,  giving  a 
scaly  appearance  above;  the  top  of  the  head  was  light 
gray;  ear-coverts  and  nape  purplish-bronze,  and  the 
rump  and  abdomen  were  crimson.  A  large  species  of  the 
same  family  {Nestor),  having  its  plumage  varied  with 
green  and  blue,  is  generally  disliked  on  account  of  its 
sheep-destroying  propensities.  The  parrot  attacks  these 
animals  with  its  powerful  hooked  beak,  and  it  usually 
punctures  the  sides  and  intestines,  causing  the  death  of 
the  sheep.  The  true  cause  of  this  wanton  destruction  has 
not,  as  yet,  been  fully  and  satisfactorily  explained. 

After  two  hours'  delay  the  journey  was  resumed,  and 
the  Waiaoao  River  was  soon  reached  and  forded  without 
any  difficulty.  The  country  had  now  become  more 
mountainous  and,  as  a  consequence,  travel,  to  a  small 
extent  was  retarded.  After  crossing  the  river  a  short 
stop  was  made  at  the  village  of  Mohaka.  Meade  aptly 
describes  this  town  as,  "A  settlement  curiously  situated 
on  the  banks  of  a  river  traversing  an  apparently  oval 
piece  of  table-land  surrounded  by  mountains,  suggesting 
the  very  unromantic  idea  of  a  deep  and  gigantic  dish, 
divided  by  a  crack,  through  which  flows  the  river 
Waiaoao."  The  time  was  limited,  so  the  company  did 
not  tarry  long  in  this  native  village. 

Where  the  nature  of  the  road  would  permit,  the  horses 
were  urged  into  a  trot,  but  the  country  being  very  uneven 
they  were  allowed  to  walk  a  great  deal.  However,  when 
the  sun  disappeared  behind  the  smoky  blue  heights  of  the 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  257 

Kaimanawa  Range  that  afternoon,  Adolphe  announced 
that  Napier  was  a  good  forty  miles  in  the  rear.  Over  half 
of  the  journey  had  been  accompHshed  without  anything 
of  moment  interfering  with  their  progress. 

That  evening  the  party  bivouacked  at  the  foot  or  base 
of  a  mountain,  which,  with  its  verdant  tree-covered 
slopes  and  terraces,  and  massive  proportions,  presented 
a  picturesque  grandeur  that  was  truly  beautiful  to  be- 
hold, as  it  stood  boldly  outlined  against  the  roseate- 
tinted  sky.  As  the  encroaching  shades  of  night  obliter- 
ated the  grand  but  wild  scenery  around  them  the  brilliant 
stars  appeared  one  by  one,  rapidly  forming  the  well- 
known  constellations,  and  the  firmament  was  soon  re- 
splendent with  their  combined  beauty. 

As  the  Maoris  were  much  afraid  of  the  dark,  a  camp- 
fire  was  kindled,  which  enlivened  the  scene;  and  there, 
was  no  danger  of  the  natives  allowing  it  to  die  out.  At 
first  Mr.  Young  objected  to  the  fire,  as  he  thought  it 
might  be  the  means  of  making  their  presence  known  to 
hostile  tribes,  and,  as  a  consequence,  work  harm  to  the 
expedition;  but  Adolphe  pointed  out  the  sheltered  posi- 
tion which  they  occupied  to  Mr.  Young,  and  that  gentle- 
man finally  acknowledged  that  the  light  could  not  be  seen 
far  away,  and  gave  his  consent  to  have  the  wood  ignited. 

Many  moths,  myriads  of  mosquitoes  and  other  noctur- 
nal insects  were  attracted  from  the  fern  growths  by  the 
fire,  and  these  in  turn  brought  many  bats,  of  two  species, 
around  the  camp.  These  winged  mammals,  no  doubt, 
had  a  feast  on  the  large  fat  moths,  some  of  which  were 
peculiarly  but  beautifully  marked. 

"Gentlemen,"  said  the  captain,  "are  you  aware  that 
there  are  five  times  as  many  species  of  insects  on  our 
globe  as  there  are  of  all  other  living  things  put  together?" 

"The  number  of  insects  must  be  immense  then,  for 
just  think  how  many  different  kinds  of  mammals,  birds, 
reptiles,  fishes  and  fresh  and  salt  water  organisms  there 
are,"  rejoined  Mr.  Stillman. 


258  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

"Yes,"  the  captain  continued,  "and  there  are  probably 
thousands  of  species  for  our  future  entomologists  to  dis- 
cover. It  is  said  that  the  pine  tree  alone  supports  about 
200  species,  while  the  oak  is  the  home  of  450  varieties; 
and  over  100,000  kinds  of  beetles  have  already  been  dis- 
covered, and  naturalists  are  constantly  adding  to  this 
number." 

"There  are  a  great  many  insects  that  people  in  general 
do  not  know  are  in  existence,"  interposed  Mr.  Young. 
"Now  I  have  a  microscope  that  magnifies  some  600 
diameters,  and  it  is  astonishing  what  it  will  reveal.  For 
instance  I  take  a  thin  slice  of  limestone,  put  it  under  my 
instrument  and  it  is  at  once  transformed  into  a  conglomer- 
ated mass  of  cretaceous  sediment  whose  component 
parts  plainly  indicate  that  it  is  but  the  remains  of  minute 
crustaceans  that  svram  in  the  oceans  when  the  earth  was 
young.  Again  I  take  a  drop  of  stagnant  water  and  sub- 
ject it  to  the  same  scrutiny,  and  behold,  it  is  fairly  alive 
with  beautiful  animacules  dodging  hither  and  thither, 
playing  with  each  other,  and  apparently  enjoying  life  just 
as  much  as  if  they  were  big  enough  to  be  seen  by  their 
superiors.  And  some  of  these  little  bodies  are  graceful 
in  form,  delicately  colored  and  truly  pleasing  to  the  eye. 
These,  friends,  are  but  two  citations  of  the  uses  that  I  put 
my  microscope  to;  it  really  seems  to  transport  me  into 
other  worlds,  and  when  I  get  fatigued  by  my  work  it 
aflfords  me  not  only  a  diversion  from  business,  but  a 
pleasurable  and  an  instructive  recreation." 

"The  modem  microscope  embodies  a  wonderful  piece 
of  mechanism,  and  very  few  people,  comparatively  speak- 
ing, are  aware  of  its  capabilities,"  returned  Captain  Ash- 
ton. 

"True,  and  the  wonders  that  the  compound  instrument 
reveals  seem  to  be  unlimited.  That  is,  the  stronger  the 
power  and  the  finer  the  adjustments,  the  more  infinitesi- 
mal are  the  bodies,  whether  animated  or  inert  that  are  re- 
vealed.    In  this  respect  the  microscope  resembles  the 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  259 

telescope,  for  the  future  of  the  latter  instrument  is  beyond 
our  comprehension.  They  constantly  produce  larger 
and  stronger  telescopes,  and  each  successive  triumph  in 
that  direction  adds  to  the  knowledge  of  the  number  and 
nature  of  the  bodies  which  are  traversing  the  infinite 
beyond,"  said  Mr.  Young. 

At  this  juncture  the  scantily  clad  Maoris  amused  the 
other  members  of  the  expedition,  by  singing  or  chanting 
some  of  their  wild  native  songs,  and  keeping  time  by  a 
weird  but  not  ungraceful  dance.  Their  maneuvers  were 
extremely  grotesque  in  the  flickering  firelight.  Their 
dark  forms,  against  the  murky  blackness  beyond  the 
camp,  were  only  relieved  by  the  whites  of  their  eyes,  their 
teeth,  and  the  small  pieces  of  light-colored  cloth  which 
constituted  their  habiliments.  On  the  whole,  it  reminded 
the  observers  of  the  black  art  as  it  is  now  practiced. 

After  the  entertainment  was  over  a  large  quantity  of 
ferns  were  collected.  The  blankets  were  spread  over 
them  and  they  made  excellent  beds,  and  had  it  not  been 
for  the  bothersome  mosquitoes  rest  might  have  been 
greatly  enjoyed.  A  detailed  watch  was  kept  during  the 
night,  but  nothing  occurred  to  disturb  the  camp. 

Captain  Ashton  and  Mr.  Stillman  as  usual  were  the 
chief  purveyors.  The  mode  of  traveling  and  sleeping 
had  a  tendency  to  produce  inanition,  consequently  what 
game  the  hunters  brought  into  camp  was  well  appre- 
ciated. 

On  the  morning  following  their  first  New  Zealand 
camp.  Captain  Ashton  arose  early  and  sallied  forth  with 
his  pet  repeating  rifle,  and  accompanied  by  one  of  the 
natives.  As  has  been  previously  stated,  indigenous  game 
is  scarce  and  of  a  very  limited  variety  on  these  islands. 
If  it  had  not  been  for  the  rabbits  which  had  been  pur- 
posely imported  and  liberated  on  this  soil,  and  a  few  pigs 
which  had  escaped  from  their  domestic  Ufe,  and  propa- 


260  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

gated  their  kind  among  the  wilds,  game  would  hardly 
have  been  worth  hunting.  The  rabbits  introduced,  how- 
ever, have  been  exceedingly  proHfic,  and  the  land  is  over- 
run with  them,  much  to  the  distaste  of  the  agriculturally 
inclined  residents.  Mankind,  will,  no  doubt,  some  time 
become  aware  of  the  fact  that  it  is  best  not  to  try  to 
increase  the  fauna  of  a  country  by  introducing  exotics. 
The  fallacy  thereof  has  been  demonstrated  time  and  again. 

These  rabbits  were  abundant  around  the  camp,  and 
they  made  rare  sport  for  the  captain,  and  when  he  marched 
up  to  the  fire  just  after  sunrise,  and  threw  down  six  of 
these  long-eared  mammals,  and  two  pairs  of  pigeons,  it 
was  an  agreeable  surprise  to  all.  The  finely  flavored  flesh 
of  this  game  proved  to  be  a  valuable  acquisition,  and  a 
welcome  addition  to  the  bill  of  fare. 

Progress  that  day  was  necessarily  slow,  for  the  steep 
eastern  incline  of  the  Kaimanawa  Range  had  to  be 
climbed,  and  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  roadway,  which 
does  not  make  any  detour,  it  would  have  been  slower 
still.  When  the  ridge  was  reached  a  peak  was  cUmbed 
for  the  purpose  of  viewing  the  surrounding  country,  and 
the  bird's-eye  view  there  obtained  was  well  worth  the 
effort.  The  greatly  diversified  island  for  a  radius  of  one 
hundred  miles  or  more  could  be  distinctly  seen.  The 
coast  line  to  the  east,  however,  was  hidden  in  part  by  the 
intervening  peaks  of  the  Ruahine  Range.  Taupo  Lake 
and  its  radiating  rivers  presented  a  very  attractive  ap- 
pearance, surrounded  as  they  were  by  miles  and  miles  of 
a  luxuriant  primeval  forest.  Columns  and  jets  of  smoke 
and  steam  were  arising  in  numerous  places  around  the 
lake,  and  Adolphe  explained  that  they  came  from  the  hot 
springs  and  volcanoes  which  are  such  an  attractive  nat- 
ural feature  around  the  lake  shore.  He  also  indicated 
nearly  the  spot  where  Reihana  and  his  tribe  were  sup- 
posed to  be  located. 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  261 

The  thought  involuntarily  came  to  Mr.  Young  that 
Fred  might,  at  that  very  moment,  be  where  he  could  see 
the  peak  on  which  they  were.  He  banished  the  idea  as 
quickly  as  it  came;  he  wanted  to  nurture  no  hopes  that 
might,  later  on,  be  blasted  by  unrelenting  reality. 

Some  fifty  miles  to  the  southwest  the  towering  volcano, 
Tongariro,  could  be  seen  and  the  murky  cloud  of  smoke 
which  hung  around  the  summit  gave  evidence  of  the 
active  fires  which  lurked  within,  ready  to  belch  forth  at 
any  moment.  The  blackness  of  this  mountain  was  vividly 
contrasted  by  the  still  higher  peak,  Ruapehu  which  is 
clad  in  perpetual  snow,  and  which  is  located  eight  or  nine 
miles  beyond.  Both  summits  penetrated  the  clouds ;  the 
former  reaching  an  altitude  of  some  6,500  feet,  and  the 
latter  over  9,000  feet.  Some  travelers  have  estimated  that 
Ruapehu  is  10,200  feet  above  the  level  of  the  Pacific. 

But  three-fourths  of  an  hour  was  spent  in  taking  a  cur- 
sory survey  of  the  Taupo  Lake  country,  for  no  time  could 
be  thrown  away,  as  there  was  too  much  work  to  accom- 
plish in  the  future.  The  families  of  the  travelers  were 
impatiently  awaiting  the  safe  return  of  the  party  to  the 
coast,  consequently,  Mr.  Young  urged  his  followers  to  be 
as  expeditious  as  possible  at  all  times. 

It  was  faster  and  easier  descending  the  western  slope 
of  the  range  than  it  had  been  ascending  the  eastern  in- 
cline. The  horses  were  urged  forward  and  they  seemed 
to  cheerfully  respond  to  their  riders'  wishes,  and  the  Kain- 
garoa  Plain  was  rapidly  traversed.  Here  the  ground  was 
littered  with  ashes,  basaltic  rock,  pumice  stone  and  other 
substances,  which  betokened  that  the  great  volcanic  belt 
was  near  at  hand.  The  slight  hills  and  gentle  undulating 
country  were  rather  barren;  patches  of  stunted  ferns, 
tufts  of  tussock  grass,  and  the  disagreeable  sword  grass, 
which  would  penetrate  the  flesh  like  daggers,  grew  here 
.and  there,  while  the  tea-tree  scrub  grew  very  sparingly. 


262  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

Mount  Tauhara  was  approached  and  passed,  and  while 
traversing  the  foot-hills  to  the  south  the  great  lake  was 
caught  sight  of  ahead,  and  just  before  the  sun  disappeared 
in  the  west  the  party  emerged  from  the  scrub,  and  Taupo 
Lake  at  that  point  where  its  waters  rush  into  the  Waikato 
River,  was  spread  out  before  them  in  all  its  entrancing 
beauty. 


FREDERICK    YOUNG,  M3 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

THE   VOLCANIC    DISTKICT. 

Taupo  Lake  covers  about  250  square  miles,  and  it 
is  some  twenty-five  miles  from  the  northern  to  the  south- 
ern extremity,  while  in  width  it  is  about  twenty  miles. 
It  is  an  exceedingly  deep  body  of  water,  and  it  is  noted 
for  its  clearness.  The  many  streams,  and  the  numerous 
springs  both  hot  and  cold  together,  pour  an  enormous 
quantity  of  water  into  the  lake,  and  this  mass  has  to  make 
its  exit  into  the  Waikato  River  through  a  rock-bound 
passage  not  more  than  225  feet  in  breadth,  but  quite 
deep.  This  remarkable  convergence  naturally  produces 
tremendous  speed,  and  many  foaming,  rushing,  miniature 
maelstroms  are  the  result.  The  river  retains  its  great 
depth  for  some  distance  from  its  source,  but  it  becomes 
considerably  wider. 

That  part  of  the  lake  shore  at  which  Mr.  Young  and  his 
companions  had  arrived  was  very  irregular,  and  it  was 
bordered  by  precipitous  banks,  as  was  also  the  Waikato. 
The  surrounding  country  was  verdant  with  vegetation; 
the  brown  exposed  declivities  presented  a  pleasing  con- 
trast, and  the  smoky  mountains  in  the  distance  added  to 
the  attractiveness  of  the  landscape.  A  native  village  was 
near  by,  as  was  made  evident  by  the  stockades  on  a 
neighboring  height,  and  by  the  canoes,  well  filled  with 
Maoris,  which  were  seen  near  the  shore. 

Adolphe  informed  the  Americans  that  this  tribe  was 
friendly,  so  the  expedition  need  not  apprehend  any  hos- 
tilities from  these  natives.  Many  different  tribes  had 
been  encountered  since  leaving  Napier,  and  all  had  treated 
the  travelers  with  due  respect.  The  party  did  not  tarry  in 
their  midst,  however,  as  delay  was  not  on  the  programme. 


264  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

It  was  considered  advisable  to  make  a  brief  stop  at  each 
village  and  to  exchange  a  few  presents,  as  the  natives 
considered  it  a  breach  of  etiquette  on  the  travelers'  part 
to  fail  to  do  so.  To  have  ignored  this  custom  might  have 
engendered  hard  feelings,  if  it  did  not  prove  instrumental 
in  provoking  an  attack. 

The  native  village  was  on  the  opposite  shore  from  Mr. 
Young's  company,  and  the  rushing  stream  could  not  be 
crossed  at  that  point  by  a  boat.  A  flimsy  rope  bridge  of 
Maori  construction  stretched  across  the  river,  but  the 
travelers  were  loath  to  trust  themselves  upon  it.  As 
night  was  near  at  hand,  and  several  miles  would  have  to 
be  traversed  before  reaching  a  fordable  place  in  the  river, 
it  was  decided  to  encamp  on  the  lake  shore,  at  the  base 
of  a  hill,  in  a  sheltered  locality.  A  high  terraced  eleva- 
tion a  little  east  of  the  Waikato  was  the  spot  chosen. 

During  the  evening  some  natives,  led  by  their  chief, 
Hemipo,  came  to  visit  the  "pakehas,"  as  they  called 
strangers.  Civilities  and  compliments  were  exchanged, 
and  Adolphe,  by  adroitly  referring  to  the  chief,  Reihana, 
learned  from  Hemipo  that  the  tribe  Mr.  Young  was  in . 
search  of  had  changed  their  village  to  a  point  on  the 
northwest  bank  of  the  Waikato,  and  one  day's  journey  up 
the  river.  This,  in  one  sense,  was  a  disappointment,  as  it 
would  necessitate  the  searching  party  making  a  longer 
journey  than  had  been  previously  anticipated,  and,  con- 
sequently, their  having  to  remain  in  the  interior  longer 
than  was  originally  calculated.  On  the  other  hand,  none 
were  sorry  that  the  extra  journey  would  have  to  be  made, 
for  it  would  take  them  into  a  section  of  country  that  has 
no  equal  on  the  face  of  the  earth  for  natural  phenomena, 
excluding  Iceland.  Yes,  along  this  route  they  would 
see  the  geysers,  solfataras,  fumaroles,  natural  baths, 
steam  jets,  all  sorts  of  hot  chemical  springs,  and  the 
natural  beauties  along  the  famous  river. 

The  next  morning,  November  i8,  1882,  after  Mr.  Still- 
man  and  Captain  Ashton  had  bagged  a  fine  lot  of  ducks 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  265 

around  the  lake,  and  all  hands  had  enjoyed  a  bath  in  the 
clear  sparkling  water,  the  journey  was  resumed.  This 
time  it  was  up  the  east  bank  of  the  river  and  through  a 
wild,  unbroken  country,  over  which  there  was  no  regular 
road.  The  Waikato  follows  a  tortuous  course  and  it  is 
over  20  miles  long.  It  was  veritably  a  trip  in  paradise 
down  this  river;  along  the  rocky  shores,  where  calcar- 
eous, basaltic  and  tufaceous  deposits  were  strangely  inter- 
mixed, backed  by  picturesque,  partly  wooded  heights; 
and  then  the  river  itself  was  a  succession  of  rapids  and 
beautiful  cascades.  Mineral  substances  are  held  in  solu- 
tion and  white  stalagmite  deposits  border  the  water's 
edge  and  cover  the  rocks  so  that  on  that  morning  they 
sparkled  and  reflected  the  sun's  rays  hke  crystallized 
limestone.  Charming  clusters  of  translucent  stalactites 
were  gathered  from  the  overhanging  precipitous  banks, 
and  all  the  colors  of  the  spectrum  were  noticed  on  the 
stones  along  shore,  caused  by  various  oxides  in  the  rush- 
ing steam. 

During  the  afternoon  several  notable  geysers  were 
passed,  and  sulphur  springs  were  recognized  by  the  chok- 
ing fumes  which  arose  from  them.  In  fact,  hot  springs 
and  mud  volcanoes,  whose  naturally-baked  hemispherical 
coverings  collectively  looked  like  a  prairie  dog's  village 
on  the  western  plains  of  the  United  States,  were  so  plenti- 
ful that  considerable  care  had  to  be  exercised  to  avoid 
stepping  into  them.  Vapor  was  rising  from  miniature 
craters  in  the  tops  of  these  mud  domes,  in  which  soft 
mud  was  boiling  and  occasionally  being  thrown  several 
feet  into  the  air.  Then  the  fumaroles,  from  which  vari- 
ous vapors  issued,  were  met  with  here  and  there,  and  also 
solfataras,  with  columns  of  sulphurous  and  acid  vapors 
arising  from  them.  The  most  beautifully  colored  crystals 
imaginable  encrusted  the  periphery  of  some  of  these 
springs,  which  hold  numerous  combinations  of  mineral 
substances  in  solution. 

Various  writers  and  travelers  have  said  that  the  geyser 


266  FREDERICK    YOUNQ. 

district  of  this  island  is  much  more  grand  and  beautiful 
than  similar  districts  in  Iceland.  This  is  not  due,  how- 
ever, to  the  geysers  alone,  but  to  the  other  natural  phe- 
nomena which  exist  in  such  profusion,  and  the  beautiful 
effects  produced  by  the  deposits  and  encrustations  of  a 
siliceous  nature,  and  the  exquisite  coloring  of  the  same. 

If  it  had  not  been  for  these  natural  attractions,  and  the 
fear  that  some  of  the  horses  or  their  riders  would  meet 
a  horrible  fate  by  being  precipitated  into  one  of  these 
boiling  cauldrons,  better  time  would  have  been  made. 
Adolphe  informed  his  fellow  travelers  that  many  natives 
had  fallen  into  these  natural  traps,  and  that  some  had 
been  fairly  boiled  alive;  others  had  sustained  injuries 
before  being  rescued  that  had  crippled  them  for  life. 

At  midday  the  party  halted  on  a  favorably  situated 
slope,  which  gently  inclined  to  the  margin  of  the  water. 
The  opposite  shore  rose  to  an  abrupt  height  of  1,200 
feet,  and  the  surrounding  pumice  stone  hills  and  vales 
covered  with  tea  scrub  and  stunted  trees  presented  an 
exceedingly  novel  scene,  whic'h  did  not  lack  in  grandeur 
and  general  attractiveness. 

This  apot  was  particularly  chosen  because  a  large  gey- 
ser was  in  the  near  vicinity,  and  the  hot  effervescing  water 
came  near  the  top  of  the  circular  mound  of  siliceous 
formation  in  which  the  geyser  basin  was  situated.  This 
concavity  was  nearly  ten  feet  in  diameter  and  the  captain 
could  but  just  touch  bottom  near  the  center  with  his 
bamboo  fishing  rod,  so  the  basin  must  have  been  six  or 
seven  feet  in  depth.  The  central  shaft,  which  connected 
with  the  subterranean  depths,  was  calculated  to  be  about 
three  feet  in  diameter.  Owing  to  the  comparative  small- 
ness  of  the  shaft,  and  the  great  depth  of  the  basin,  erup- 
tions would  undoubtedly  be  of  great  violence,  but  the 
water  could  not  be  expected  to  reach  a  very  great  altitude. 

Mr.  Young  saw  that  the  water  in  the  center  of  the 
basin  was  boiling,  and  he  tested  the  temperature  near 
the  edge,  with  his  mercury  thermometer,  and  it  registered 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  2G7 

198"  Fahr.,  while  by  attaching  the  instrument  to  the  rod 
and  immersing  it  in  the  center  of  the  water  the  thermome- 
ter was  made  to  read  223°  Fahr.,  or  eleven  degrees  above 
the  boiling  point  of  water  at  the  sea  level. 

While  camp  was  being  made,  Captain  Ashton  tried  his 
hand  at  angling  in  the  Waikato,  and  he  was  unusually 
successful,  much  to  his  surprise,  for  New  Zealand  rivers 
as  a  rule,  are  not  very  productive  of  edible  fishes.  Eels 
and  several  varities  of  small  unimportant  fishes,  are  the 
only  indigenous  representatives  of  the  great  ichthyologi- 
cal  family  to  be  found  in  the  fresh  water  streams. 

It  is  perhaps  needless  to  say  that  the  captain  could 
hardly  believe  his  own  eyes  when  he  netted,  after  a  strug- 
gle, a  brown  trout  weiging  eighteen  pounds  and  three 
ounces,  by  his  pocket  scale.  The  second  cast  was  no  less 
successful,  for  the  elated  captain,  who  was  a  great  lover 
of  this  sport,  brought  to  land  a  beautiful  fish  whose  body 
was  covered  with  regularly  arranged  silvery  scales,  and  it 
was  of  a  very  graceful  contour.  It  much  resembled  the 
American  white  fishes  which  abound  in  the  northern  part 
of  North  America.  In  fact,  the  captain  thought  he  had 
captured  the  very  same  species  from  Bras  d'  Or  Lake, 
Cape  Breton.  Following  this  catch,  three  large  eels  and 
several  small  fishes  were  hooked  and  landed. 

"Captain,  why  did  you  remove  that  trout  from  your 
hook?"  asked  Mr.  Stillman. 

"To  catch  another  fish.     But  why  do  you  ask?" 

"Because  you  ought  to  have  followed  the  custom  said 
to  be  in  vogue  in  the  Yellowstone  Park.  There  the 
anglers  catch  their  fish,  and  then  dip  it  into  a  boiling 
spring  and  cook  it  without  removal  from  the  hook.  Now, 
this  geyser  basin  would  serve  admirably  for  cooking  your 
fish  in  the  Yellowstone  style." 

"Excuse  me,  but  I  prefer  to  have  my  fishes  cleaned 
before  they  are  cooked,  and  I  do  not  desire  to  follow 
the  custom  you  mention." 

The  fishes  were  soon  cleaned  and  cooked  in  the  big, 


268  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

natural  kettle.  The  water  seemed  to  be  free  from  alka- 
loids, so  it  was  used  in  the  coffee,  and  by  its  aid  a  nice 
lunch  was  quickly  prepared. 

While  resting  and  getting  dinner  the  peculiar  birds 
called  "wekas,"  came  around  the  camp  in  great  numbers. 
Their  shrill  whistles  first  resounded  through  the  thickets, 
then  they  appeared  on  the  margin  of  the  clearing,  and 
their  inquisitiveness  was  comical  to  behold.  Strange  to 
relate  these  birds  were  soon  running  around  among  the 
travelers  like  so  many  domestic  fowl,  and  they  peeked 
into  everything  that  was  opened.  At  first  they  were 
amusing,  but  when  one  appropriated  a  small  cake  of 
soap,  another  a  tin  drinking  cup,  and  still  another  tried  to 
run  off  with  the  captain's  pocket-knife,  forbearance  ceased 
to  be  a  virtue  and  the  thieving  wekas  had  to  be  dispersed. 
The  curious  birds  were  soon  driven  out  of  the  camp,  but 
they  were  more  scared  than  hurt,  for  the  light  porous 
pumice-stones  which  were  thrown  at  them  could  not  be 
hurled  with  any  great  force. 

Captain  Ashton  was  considerably  puzzled  over  the  fish 
he  had  caught,  they  were  so  utterly  at  variance  with  what 
he  had  read  of  as  occurring  in  New  Zealand.  He  had 
almost  decided  to  take  upon  himself  the  honor  of  adding 
two  new  species  to  the  ichthyological  nomenclature  of 
New  Zealand,  when  ,he  thought  to  make  an  inquiry  of  the 
guide,  and  the  matter  was  soon  made  clear.  Adolphe 
said  that  numerous  kinds  of  fish  had  been  brought  to 
New  Zealand  by  acclimatization  societies  and  private  indi- 
viduals and  liberated  in  the  lakes  and  rivers;  and  those 
that  had  just  been  taken  from  their  natural  element  were 
evidently  descended  from  these  foreign  ancestors. 

While  the  horses  were  resting  and  feeding  Mr.  Still- 
man  and  Captain  Ashton  took  their  guns  and  made  a 
short  inspection  of  the  forest  lowland  in  the  near  vicinity. 
A  few  brilliantly  colored  parrots,  and  one  of  those  re- 
markable wingless  birds  called  by  naturalists  "Apteryx" 
and  by  the  Maoris  "kiwi"  or  "kiwi-kiwi,"  were  cap- 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  2G9 

tured.  The  specimen  was  as  large  as  a  medium-sized 
domestic  fowl,  and  it  was  of  a  dark  reddish-brown  color, 
longitudinally  marked  with  a  lighter  shade.  The  feet  and 
bill  were  strong,  and  the  latter  was  slightly  curved  at  the 
tip.  These  birds  are  nocturnal  in  their  habits,  and.  in 
their  worm-probing  propensities  greatly  resemble  the 
American  woodcock.  These  strange  birds  are  peculiar 
to  New  Zealand,  and  they  have  been  the  cause  of  much 
controversy  among  ornithologists,  on  account  of  the  diffi- 
culty of  properly  classifying  them  in  the  avian  nomencla- 
ture. 

Captain  Ashton  had  not  forgotten  his  case  of  taxider- 
mal  instruments,  cotton  and  arsenical  soap,  hence  his 
object  in  collecting  these  birds  on  the  bank  of  the  pictur- 
esque Waikato.  At  his  leisure  he  intended  to  use  his 
keen-edged  scalpels,  curved  scissors,  forceps,  etc.,  on 
his  specimens,  so  that  they  would  be  in  a  suitable  condi- 
tion to  deposit  in  the  moth-proof  cabinets  in  far  away 
New  York,  on  the  return  of  the  Altair. 

Before  the  hunters  returned  they  bagged,  near  the  river, 
a  brace  of  the  stupid  blue  ducks,  and  a  male  specimen  of 
the  handsome  and  wary  paradise  duck.  The  former 
were  bluish  gray  in  color,  and  the  latter  was  a  dark  brown 
with  a  conspicuous  white  head. 

During  the  afternoon  many  natives  were  seen  and  two 
Maori  villages  were  passed.  The  same  grand,  but  rather 
barren  scenery  prevailed.  Many  beautiful  foamy  rapids 
and  thundering  falls  were  passed,  while  steam  jets  and 
mud  volcanoes  were  seen  in  countless  numbers.  Owing 
to  the  sinuosities  of  the  river,  Adolphe  kept  off  some  dis- 
tance on  the  Kaingaroa  Plain,  thereby  saving  many  miles 
of  travel,  and  at  the  same  time  avoiding  the  extreme  un- 
evenness  of  the  country  adjoining  the  Waikato.  To  be 
sure  many  beautiful  bits  of  picturesque  scenery  escaped 
their  notice,  but  this  was  inconsequential  compared  with 
the  object  of  the  trip. 

As  night  drew  near,  Adolphe  stated  that  Reihana's 


270  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

camp  could  not  be  over  five  miles  away,  but  it  was  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  river.  He — the  guide — based  his 
supposition  on  the  information  obtained  from  Chief 
Hemipo  at  Taupo  Lake.  The  country  had  been  very 
rough,  but,  nevertheless,  it  was  estimated  that  thirty  miles 
had  been  traversed  since  morning.  Now  the  Pairoa 
Range  loomed  up  on  the  right,  and  just  across  the  river 
was  the  kainga  called  "Orakei-Korako."  The  road  from 
Auckland  and  Maketu  converge  at  Oruanui,  and  cross 
the  river  at  this  point,  and  thence  continues  to  Taupo 
Lake  and  Napier.  It  was  determined  to  cross  at  the 
ferry,  spend  the  night  in  the  village,  and  push  forward  in 
the  morning. 

As  the  party  approached  the  river  several  native 
canoes  put  out  from  the  opposite  shore.  Adolphe  said 
the  Maoris  would  take  the  baggage  over  and  anybody 
that  wanted  to  go  by  boat,  but  the  horses  would  have  to 
swim,  as  there  was  no  fordable  place  near  by.  The  na- 
tives, of  course,  would  expect  some  remuneration  for 
their  services,  and,  in  fact,  their  livelihood  is  derived  in 
this  manner,  for  there  is  no  small  amount  of  travel  by  this 
route. 

Before  darkness  had  obliterated  the  mountains  and 
valleys  the  expedition  with  all  effects  had  safely  reached 
the  village.  The  natives  were  hospitable  and  they  seemed 
to  greatly  enjoy  the  presence  of  the  "pakehas."  A  whare 
of  not  very  large  dimensions  was  put  at  the  disposal  of 
the  party,  and  they  at  once  proceeded  to  comfortably 
install  themselves  for  the  night. 

The  village  of  Orakei-Korako  is  built  on  a  hill  affording 
a  fine  view  of  the  falls  and  rapids  of  boiling  hot  water, 
which  flow  or  fall  into  the  Waikato  just  across  the  stream. 
The  broad  margin  of  white  stalagmite  on  either  side  of 
the  falls,  makes  them  appear  larger  than  they  really  are. 
The  Pairoa  Range  on  the  opposite  shore,  reaching  an 
altitude  of  i,ooo  feet,  and  extending  thirty-five  miles  in  a 


FREDERICK   YOUNG.  271 

northeasterly  direction,  added  to  the  attractiveness  of  the 
surroundings. 

Just  at  the  foot  of  an  incline,  near  the  village,  is  a  large 
geyser,  from  which  the  place  is  named.  At  certain  sea- 
sons of  the  year  this  great  spring  is  said  to  throw  a 
column  of  boiling  water  forty  feet  into  the  air.  The  geyser 
is  near  the  river  bank  and  it  is  surrounded  with  what  at 
first  appears  to  be  a  huge  snow-drift,  but  on  close  inspec- 
tion it  proves  to  be  deposits  of  crystal-like  stalagmite. 
This  immaculate  mound  is  punctured  with  several  large 
shafts,  and  one  can  hear  the  hissing  and  bubbling  of  the 
agitated  water  in  the  somber  profundities  below. 

After  supper  had  been  disposed  of,  and  a  goodly  quan- 
tity of  cherries  had  been  eaten  for  dessert,  all  hands,  in- 
cluding the  greater  part  of  the  native  population,  went 
down  to  the  natural  bathing  place,  which  was  near  by. 
These  baths  are  commodious,  and  the  water,  which  is 
chemically  colored  a  deep  blue,  is  just  warm  enough  to 
be  enjoyed,  while  the  bottom  of  the  bath  is  as  smooth  as 
glass.  The  siliceous  substances  held  in  solution  have 
formed  layer  upon  layer  on  the  bottom  and  sides  of  this — 
nature's  big  bath  tub — making  the  interior  as  smooth 
as  porcelain.  The  Maoris  spend  a  great  deal  of  their 
time  in  this  tepid  water.  It  was  new  to  the  searching 
party,  and  it  was  a  great  enjoyment  to  them;  and  then  it 
was  extremely  refreshing  after  the  dusty,  fatiguing  jour- 
ney of  the  day. 

During  the  evening  Mr.  Young  obtained  much  infor- 
mation concerning  Reihana  and  his  village,  but  no  one 
knew  of  his  having  any  white  men  in  his  possession. 
Mr.  Young  was  warned  to  be  cautious  in  dealing  with 
the  chief,  for  Reihana  bore  a  bad  name,  and  he  was  in- 
clined to  be  aggressive  to  all  white  people.  The  Ameri- 
cans did  not  fear  the  old  chief,  however,  for  their  expedi- 
tion was  made  up  of  brave,  trustworthy  men,  and  they 
were  all  provided  with  the  most  approved  of  modern 
arms,  and  they  knew  how  to  use  them  effectively.    But 


372  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

Mr.  Young  anticipated  no  trouble,  as  he  intended  to  be 
perfectly  fair  and  square  with  the  savage. 

The  next  morning  was  quite  cool  and  iVIr.  Stillman  hap- 
pened to  be  the  first  one  of  his  company  to  emerge  from 
the  whare,  and  the  sight  that  met  his  view  was  truly 
novel  and  charming  beyond  description.  He  immedi- 
ately called  his  friends  to  see  what  the  sun  would  soon  dis- 
sipate. There  are  thousands  of  vents  around  the  river 
banks  at  this  point,  which  allow  the  gas  and  steam  to 
escape  from  the  great  subterranean  furnace,  and  on  this 
particular  morning,  when  the  thousands  of  columns  of 
steam  of  various  sizes  came  in  contact  with  the  cool  air, 
they  combined  in  producing  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
sights  the  Americans  had  ever  had  the  pleasure  of  wit- 
nessing. The  low  temperature  of  the  atmosphere  had  a 
tendency  to  condense  the  minute  water  globules  as  they 
arose  in  picturesque  spirals  and  columns,  and  they  ap- 
peared snowy  white  against  the  verdant  hills  beyond. 
Some  of  the  jets  in  the  still  air  assumed  the  shape  of  re- 
versed cones,  and  they  were  apparently  as  immovable  as 
statues.  It  is  impossible  to  imagine  what  a  peculiar  and 
yet  an  entrancing  scene  they  presented. 

"Nature  is  indeed  wonderful,"  said  Mr.  Young,  "and 
this  scene  forcibly  impresses  on  one's  mind  that  we  must 
live  on  a  very  thin  crust;  that  the  great  molten  interior 
is  but  a  little  distance  beneath  our  feet." 

"Scientists,  I  beheve,  estimate  that  the  crust  is  from 
twenty-five  to  fifty  miles  deep,"  said  Mr.  Stillman. 

"And  they  base  their  computation  on  what?" 

"On  the  increasing  temperature  as  they  descend  below 
the  surface  of  the  earth  in  mines,  artesian  wells,  and  spe- 
cial deep  borings  for  scientific  purposes.  The  thermal 
increase  is  regular,  so  it  can  be  easily  calculated  at  what 
depth  matter  becomes  so  hot  as  to  exist  in  a  molten  state." 

"Well,  if  water  and  mud  boil  on  the  surface  here,  it 
cannot  be  that  the  crust  is  over  ten  miles  deep  at  the 
utmost,  and  it  may  not  be  half  that  depth." 


FREDERICK    YOUNG,  273 

"Possibly  not.  There  are  several  volcanic  districts 
on  the  terrestrial  surface  where  the  phenomena  indicate 
a  remarkably  thin  crust." 

After  the  frugal  breakfast  had  been  eaten  and  leave 
taken  of  the  kindly  disposed  Maoris,  the  cavalcade  moved 
out  of  the  village  and  up  the  southwest  bank  of  the  Wai- 
kato  toward  Reihana's  headquarters.  All  were  alive 
with  suspense  and  expectancy.  "Was  the  object  of  the 
expedition  over  sea  and  land  about  to  be  accomplished?" 
they  asked  each  other.  Probably  before  night  all  would 
know. 

The  route  lay  along  the  river  bank  at  the  foot  of  a  range 
of  heavily  wooded  hills.  The  massive  timber  producing 
tree  butts  ran  up  twenty  to  forty  feet,  when  theyramificated 
and  the  great  limbs  were  fantastically  draped  with  supple- 
jack and  pendant  mosses.  The  great  pigeons  cooed  to 
each  other  from  their  verdant  environments;  the  gayly 
colored  parrakeets  hung  in  comical  attitudes  and  hawed 
and  chattered  in  discordant  notes  to  the  intruders  below, 
while  the  green  tree-lizards  ran  up  the  big  butts  and 
scampered  away  among  the  branches  with  surprising 
agility.  Under  foot  the  ferns  grew  in  prolific  luxuriance, 
and  many  brilliantly  colored  orchids  broke  the  monotony 
of  the  eternal  green.  In  the  glades  and  along  the  river 
grew  the  merciless  Spaniards  in  clumps,  and  the  riders  had 
to  exercise  great  care  to  prevent  their  horses  from  coming 
in  contact  with  the  cruel  bayonet-like  leaves,  for  they  will 
lacerate  flesh  like  so  many  sabers. 

The  little  band  continued  through  this  diversified 
country  for  two  hours,  when  Adolphe  announced  that 
Reihana's  village  was  near  at  hand,  and  they  halted  for 
consultation.  The  method  of  approach  and  the  plans  to 
be  carried  out,  in  case  anything  definite  concerning  the 
white  captives  could  be  learned,  were  discussed  in  detail. 
The  leading  gentlemen  in  the  party  finally  concurred 
with  Mr.  Young.  They  were  to  go  boldly  forward  and 
interview  the  chief,  and  keep  together  as  much  as  possi- 


2U  FREDERICK   YOUNG. 

ble,  and  be  ready  to  defend  themselves  at  a  second's 
notice  in  case  of  an  emergency. 

At  last  all  were  ready  and  they  moved  forward.  A  few 
minutes  later,  as  they  rounded  the  base  of  a  hill,  Rei- 
hana's  pah  came  into  view,  less  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
away.  It  occupied  the  crest  of  an  elevation  some  500 
feet  above  the  river,  and  it  was  completely  encircled  by 
a  high  wooden  palisade.  A  staff  was  set  in  the  center  of 
the  enclosure  bearing  grotesquely  carved  wooded  images, 
which,  no  doubt,  were  of  great  symbolic  import  to  the 
Maoris.  A  massive  image  of  hideous  aspect  was  located 
over  the  main  entrance,  and  it  had  a  tendency  to  give 
one  an  uneasy  sensation  when  entering  the  gate,  as  the 
Americans  soon  learned.  These  peculiarities,  which  are 
typically  New  Zealand,  were  noted  by  aid  of  powerful 
binocular  glasses. 

Two  native  guards  were  on  duty  without  the  enclosure, 
and  when  they  observed  the  approaching  strangers,  one 
disappeared  within  the  palisade,  but  he  soon  returned  ac- 
companied by  a  dozen  or  more  of  his  companions,  five 
of  whom  descended  the  hill  to  meet  the  cavalcade.  When 
they  had  gotten  half-way  down,  however,  they  halted 
to  await  developments. 

The  searching  party  continued  to  approach,  Adolphe 
in  the  lead.  They  soon  came  near  enough  to  speak  to 
the  dark-skinned  and  half-clad  natives,  who  stood  with 
folded  arms  and  in  majestic  silence.  Adolphe  saluted 
them,  and  spoke  in  their  own  tongue.  He  inquired  if  the 
pakehas  could  see  Reihana,  whom  they  had  come  a  long 
distance  to  visit.  The  natives,  at  this  question,  appeared 
to  be  somewhat  disturbed  and  irresolute.  They  evi- 
dently expected  treachery  of  some  sort,  for  they  cast 
numerous  suspicious  glances  at  the  party.  Adolphe  al- 
layed their  fears  by  saying  that  the  white  men  were  come 
to  pay  the  chief  a  friendly  visit,  and  that  they  had  brought 
him  some  presents.  As  a  guarantee  of  good  faith,  the 
guide  gave  the  Maoris  each  a  small  package  of  tobacco, 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  275 

which  they  prize  highly.  The  ruse  had  the  desired 
effect,  for  one  of  the  natives  immediately  started  for  the 
pah  as  fast  as  his  bare  limbs  could  carry  him,  to  apprise 
his  chief  of  the  white  men's  advent.  Several  Maoris  soon 
appeared  and  motioned  for  the  party  to  approach  the 
entrance  to  the  pah.  Adolphe  rode  slowly  forward  fol- 
lowed by  his  companions,  and  a  few  seconds  later  they 
were  within  the  palisade. 

The  interior  probably  spread  over  an  acre  of  ground, 
and  it  was  well  covered  with  small  whares,  arranged 
around  several  large  ones  in  the  center,  toward  which 
the  party  was  conducted  followed  by  a  crowd  of  men, 
women  and  children,  all  in  scanty  attire,  as  is  the  custom 
in  New  Zealand. 

The  whares  were  constructed  with  wooden  frames, 
neatly  fitted  and  bound  together,  and  thatched  with  a 
marsh  plant  called  "raupo,"  which  is  remarkably  well 
adapted  to  the  purpose.  These  small  habitations  were 
about  eight  by  sixteen  feet  inside,  and  their  fires  were 
built  in  the  center.  They  were  waterproof,  and  they  pro- 
tected the  inmates  from  wind  and  cold.  A  few  mats 
spread  on  the  ground  or  floor  served  as  beds. 

At  last,  a  large  whare  occupying  a  central  position  and 
being  more  noticeable  than  the  others  on  account  of  the 
rude  exterior  decorations,  was  reached,  and  a  halt  was 
made. 

"Mr.  Young,"  said  Adolphe  dismounting  and  turning 
to  his  employer,  "this  is  Chief  Reihana's  quarters  and  we 
are  requested  to  enter." 

"We  will  comply  with  the  request,  in  a  measure.  Mr. 
Stillman,  Captain  Ashton,  Adolphe  and  myself  will  enter; 
the  rest  must  stay  here  to  protect  our  horses  and  traps," 
said  Mr.  Young, 

"Yes,  boys,  and  be  careful  and  not  have  any  trouble 
with  the  natives  while  we  are  within,"  added  the  captain. 

The  entrance  to  the  big  whare  was  so  low  that  the 
visitors  had  to  stoop  to  pass  through  it,  but  there  was 


276  FREDERICK    YOUNO. 

plenty  of  room  inside.  In  the  center  on  a  pile  of  rugs 
sat  the  old  chief,  Reihana,  the  individual  for  whom  Mr. 
Young  was  searching.  The  chief  was  an  intelligent- 
looking  Maori,  and  his  dress  was  fashioned  after  the 
English  style.  Originally  it  was  of  white  linen,  but  it 
had  become  somewhat  the  worse  for  wear.  A  good  wash- 
ing and  a  little  mending  would  have  improved  it  won- 
derfully, but  then  it  did  very  well  for  a  barbarous  chief 
in  the  wilds  of  New  Zealand.  Reihana  wore  many  brass 
and  green  jade-stone  ornaments,  and  his  face,  neck  and 
hands  were  tattooed  in  many  places,  which  did  not  im- 
prove his  appearance.  There  was  an  evil  expression 
lurking  within  his  eye,  and  the  general  contour  and  ex- 
pression of  his  mouth  denoted  a  cunning  and  cruel  nature. 
On  the  whole,  he  failed  to  impress  his  visitors  favorably. 

Several  of  the  chief's  subordinates,  in  scanty  attire  but 
gaudily  decked  out  in  colored  leathers  and  shell  and  bone 
ornaments,  flanked  either  side  of  their  superior,  while 
about  a  dozen  ugly-looking  guards,  armed  with  heavy 
spears,  formed  a  semicircle  in  his  rear.  Surely  if  num- 
bers were  to  be  taken  into  consideration,  the  chief  had  his 
callers  at  a  disadvantage. 

The  three  Americans  stepped  forward  and  saluted  the 
chief  in  roysLl  style,  much  to  that  gentleman's  satisfaction. 
Then  they  placed  several  presents  before  his  honor,  and 
Adolphe  broke  the  silence  by  telling  the  chief  that  his 
visitors  had  come  from  America,  from  the  United  States, 
and  that  they  had  heard  of  him  as  a  great  chief. 

Reihana  was  naturally  corpulent,  but  these  compli- 
ments, made  up  for  the  occasion,  seemed  to  swell  him  up 
to  greater  proportions  than  ever.  Much  to  his  visitors' 
surprise  he  said : 

"Me  talkee  white  man  ung  little." 

Mr.  Young  at  this  juncture  stepped  forward,  and  after 
making  a  few  preliminary  remarks,  said: 

"Reihana,  a  long  time  ago  my  boy  went  many  miles 
away  to  a  strange  country,  and  after  staying  away  some 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  277 

time  he  started  to  return  home.  Do  you  know  where  the 
big  land  called  Austraha  is?" 

"Me  know,"  returned  Reihana,  pointing  to  the  west. 

"And  do  you  know  where  America  is?" 

"Ye-es,  long  way,"  and  the  chief  pointed  to  the  east. 

"Well,"  continued  Mr.  Young,  "my  boy's  home  was  in 
America  and  he  went  to  Australia,  and  the  vessel  in  which 
he  started  for  home  went  to  tlie  bottom  of  the  sea,  and  I 
have  never  seen  my  boy  since.  I  loved  him  very  much, 
and  I  have  come  here  with  my  friends  to  try  to  find 
him." 

It  was  necessary  for  the  guide  to  repeat  some  of  what 
Mr.  Young  said  before  the  chief  could  comprehend  its 
import. 

"Mebby  he  die  when  big  boat  go  down  in  water,"  sug- 
gested Reihana. 

"I  think  he  may  have  got  away  from  the  ship  in  a  little 
boat,  and  the  little  boat  may  have  come  to  New  Zealand, 
and  he  may  be  held  prisoner  by  some  great  chief,  hke  you, 
Reihana,"  Mr.  Young  said,  looking  the  chief  searchingly 
in  the  face  as  he  spoke. 

Reihana  twisted  on  his  rugs  and  seemed  ill  at  ease 
under  the  combined  scrutiny  of  his  visitors. 

"What  white  man  want  see  Reihana  for?" 

"Over  a  year  ago,"  returned  Mr.  Young,  "you  went 
to  the  coast  near  Napier,  and  while  you  were  there  a 
boat  was  thrown  up  on  the  beach  during  a  big  storm; 
and  in  that  boat  were  three  white  men,  and  you  took  them 
prisoners  and  carried  them  back  to  your  village  far  from 
the  sea  and  near  the  big  lake.  I  have  come,  Reihana,  to 
see  if  you  have  got  my  boy." 

All  were  narrowly  watching  the  crafty  Maori,  while 
Mr,  Young  was  speaking,  to  note  the  least  sign  of  be- 
trayal or  guilt. 

Reihana  was  utterly  disconcerted;  the  suddenness  and 
the  directness  of  Mr.  Young's  remarks  or  assertions,  up- 
set the  chief's  accustomed  equanimity.     Perhaps  there  is 


278  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

nothing  more  admired  by  these  natives  than  the  power 
to  control  and  to  conceal  one's  feelings,  and  to  present 
a  phlegmatic  and  unmoved  demeanor  in  the  time  of 
danger  or  surprise.  This  trait  Reihana  had  previously 
prided  himself  upon,  but  now  he  had  shown  signs  of 
weakness,  and  those  of  his  followers  who  were  present 
had  not  failed  to  take  note  of  the  fact;  neither  had  the 
Americans. 

"What  was  boy's  name?"  the  chief  finally  inquired. 

"His  name  was  Frederick  Young,  and  Reihana,  if  you 
have  any  white  men  in  your  village  let  me  see  them  at 
once.  I  have  not  come  to  do  jou  any  injury,  but  to  find 
my  son,  and  if  you  have  not  done  him  any  harm  to  pay 
you  for  him." 

The  chief  at  this  juncture  turned  to  his  guards  and 
apparently  gave  an  order  in  his  own  language,  and  two  of 
the  guards  immediately  left  the  whare. 

Adolphe  did  not  impart  to  Mr.  Young  the  meaning  of 
what  was  said,  as  the  chief  would  have  heard  it, 

Reihana  presently  said: 

"Me  got  white  men;  they  work  for  me;  they  come 
soon." 

This  announcement  caused  a  thrill  of  hope  to  agitate 
Mr.  Young,  and  he  and  his  companions  remained  silent 
and  anxiously  watched  for  the  appearance  of  the  pris- 
oners. 


FREDERICK    YOUNQ,  279 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

A    RESCUE. 

A  moment  elapsed,  and  then  the  covering  to  the  door 
was  Ufted;  the  ugly-looking  guards  appeared,  leading 
three  men  who  were  a  pitiful  sight  to  behold.  Their 
emaciated  bodies  and  limbs  were  but  half  clad  in  ragged 
and  filthy  remnants  of  what  had  once  been  their  civilized 
dress;  their  hair  and  beard  had  not  been  cut  or  even 
trimmed,  and  it  hung  in  unkempt  masses  around  their 
necks  and  shoulders;  their  faces  were  wan  and  pinched, 
while  their  limbs  were  weak  and  unsteady.  These  poor 
men  had  evidently  been  confined  for  a  long  time;  de- 
prived of  the  necessities  of  life,  and  treated,  no  doubt, 
more  like  dogs  than  men.  The  Americans  could  with 
difficulty  control  themselves  during  this  trying  ordeal. 

Mr.  Young,  Mr.  Stillman  and  Captain  Ashton  observed 
the  prisoners  carefully,  but  they  were  sorely  disappointed. 
Their  journey  through  the  wilds  of  New  Zealand  had 
been  on  a  fool's  errand,  for  Frederick  Young  was  not 
one  of  the  prisoners.  They  were  all  older  men  than 
Fred,  and,  notwithstanding  their  unnatural  appearance, 
Mr.  Young  could  see  that  none  of  them  resembled  the 
one  for  whom  he  was  searching. 

It  was  a  noticeable  fact  that  the  faces  of  the  captives 
perceptibly  brightened  when  they  were  brought  into  the 
presence  of  w'hite  men.  Hopes  which  had  long  lain  dor- 
mant now  arose  with  renewed  vigor.  Liberty,  home, 
friends  and  happiness,  they  dared  to  think,  might  yet  be 
theirs  once  more. 

Mr.  Young  tacitly  interpreted  these  thoughts,  for  ac- 
tions often  speak  plainer  than  words. 

"My  friends,"  said  he,  addressing  the  three  unfortu- 


280  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

nates,  "we  have  come  from  Napier  in  search  of  you,  for 
all  you  seem  to  be  strangers  to  us.  We  heard  that  you 
fell  into  Reihana's  power,  and  as  we  were  searching  for 
a  young  man  by  the  name  of  Frederick  Young,  who  was 
one  of  the  ill-fated  passengers  that  sailed  from  Melbourne 
on  the  steamship  Polynesia,  February  3, 188 1,  and  who  has 
not  been  heard  from  since,  we  followed  up  the  clue  of 
your  capture,  but  we  are  now  disappointed  to  find  that  he 
is  not  one  of  you.  Have  you  ever  heard  of  him,  or  of  the 
steamship  that  I  just  mentioned?" 

"I  have  heard  of  the  ship,  but  not  of  Frederick  Young 
that  I  can  recollect,"  one  of  the  prisoners,  who  seemed  to 
be  a  sort  of  leader  of  the  trio,  returned. 

It  now  became  more  apparent  that  the  searching  party 
had  gotten  on  the  wrong  scent,  but  this  had  happened  so 
often  since  reaching  the  South  Pacific  islands,  and  dis- 
appointment had  followed  hope  so  many  times,  that  the 
members  had  become  used  to  it.  But  this  clue  had  coin- 
cided so  well  as  to  time  with  the  wreck  of  the  Polynesia, 
that  strong  hopes  had  been  entertained  by  nearly  all  of 
those  on  the  Altair  that  something  would  be  learned  of 
Fred  by  following  up  the  clue. 

Mr.  Young  was  deeply  pained  at  the  termination  of  his 
eflForts,  but  he  showed  no  outward  signs  of  it.  The 
truth  was,  he  thought  his  boy  was  not  found  by  this  ven- 
ture, but  could  he  not  restore  these  poor  men  to  their 
homes  and  country?  Perhaps  it  was  the  work  of  Divine 
Providence,  his  coming  to  this  place;  perhaps  it  was 
ordained  that  it  should  be  so,  for  this  very  purpose.  A 
noble  resolve  filled  the  grand  old  man's  kindly  disposed 
heart;  these  men  must  be  saved;  it  was  his  duty  to  rescue 
them;  humanity  demanded  it?  He  said  a  few  words  to 
his  companions  in  French,  and  they  assured  him  that 
they  would  support  him  in  this  Christian  act.  Next  he 
spoke  to  the  captives  in  the  same  language,  and  he  was 
pleased  to  hear  the  spokesman  of  the  party  fluently 
respond. 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  281 

"Do  you  want  to  leave  this  village?"  Mr.  Young  asked. 

"Leave  it,  my  dear  sir,  we  would  gladly  sacrifice  our 
lives  to  leave  it,  and  we  want  to  leave  New  Zealand,  too. 
It  has  been  a  perpetual  hell  on  earth  to  us.  If  you  can 
help  us,  I  pray  you  to  do  so  for  humanity's  sake!"  the 
prisoner  vehemently  returned. 

Mr.  Young  saw  by  the  expression  of  the  chief's  face 
that  he  understood  the  turn  that  matters  had  taken,  so  he 
told  the  captives  that  he  would  do  all  he  could  to  rescue 
them,  and  then  he  spoke  to  the  native  potentate  again. 

"Reihana,"  Mr.  Young  began,  "why  are  you  keeping 
these  men?  They  have  never  done  you  any  harm,  and 
what  good  can  it  do  you  to  keep  them  prisoners?" 

The  old  chief  drew  back  his  broad,  muscular  frame; 
the  green  jade-stones  which  were  pendant  from  his  ear- 
lobes  swung  to  and  fro  as  he  threw  his  ugly-looking  head 
back,  while  his  eyes  seemed  to  flash  fire,  as  he  said: 
"Have  not  the  white  pakehas  come  and  cheated  us,  and 
murdered  us,  and  driven  us  from  our  lands,  and  made 
war  with  us?  We  hate  the  pakehas,  and  we  will  have 
revenge  for  our  wrongs !  These  slaves,"  pointing  at  the 
captives,  "shall  do  our  work,  and  sometime  they  shall 
make  a  feast  for  us !" 

"Where  did  you  come  from?"  inquired  Mr.  Young  of 
the  prisoners,  as  coolly  as  if  the  chief  had  not  spoken  in 
such  revengeful  terms. 

"We  are  all  natives  of  California,"  one  replied. 

"Reihana,  these  men  came  from  California,  a  part  of 
the  United  States,  and  we  came  from  the  same  place. 
It  is  the  English  of  Europe  that  have  taken  your  land, 
and  it  is  they  that  have  sent  their  red-coated  soldiers  here 
and  killed  your  people,  because  you  fought  for  your 
rights.  The  English  tried  to  take  our  land  away  from  us 
long  ago;  they  came  to  our  country  at  two  different 
times  with  many  big  ships,  loaded  with  soldiers  and  big 
and  small  guns,  but  we  drove  them  off  both  times  and 
they  have  not  dared  to  trouble  us  since.     We  killed  lots 


282  FREDERICK    YOU  NO. 

of  their  soldiers  and  they  killed  many  of  ours.  Our  sol- 
diers dress  in  blue,  you  have  never  seen  any  of  them 
here,  they  stay  at  home  and  let  other  people  alone.  Now, 
why  should  you  bear  hard  feelings  against  us,  or  against 
these  three  men,  when  our  people  have  never  wronged  you 
or  done  you  any  harm?  There  might  be  a  tribe  of  Maoris 
near  by  with  whom  you  were  at  war,  and  you  might  hate 
them  bitterly.  A  little  farther  away  there  might  be  a  tribe 
with  whom  you  were  on  friendly  terms,  and  you  would 
not  harm  any  of  them  any  more  than  you  would  a  mem- 
ber of  your  own  family,  and  yet  these  two  tribes  might  be 
of  the  same  color  and  appearance.  Because  you  dislike 
one  you  would  not  hate  the  other  simply  because  they 
looked  alike.  Is  it  not  the  same  with  white  men?  These 
prisoners  came  from  America,  the  people  you  hate  came 
from  Europe,  and  a  big  sea  like  the  one  around  New 
Zealand  separates  them.  Why  do  you  dislike  these  men 
because  they  happened  to  be  of  the  same  skin,  as  those 
that  took  your  land  and  killed  your  people?" 

"The  white  man  speaks  wisely,  but  Reihana  does  not 
know  where  the  slaves  came  from," 

"But  I  asked  them  before  they  Knew  why  I  did  so,  and 
you  heard  the  answer,  and  I  think  they  spoke  truthfully." 

"What  does  the  pakeha  want?"  the  chief  asked  dog- 
gedly.    He  had  become  subdued,  in  a  measure. 

"I  want  you  to  let  me  take  these  men  to  the  coast,  so 
they  may  go  back  to  their  own  land,  to  their  own  wives 
and  children;  and  if  you  do  this,  Reihana,  the  Great 
Spirit  will  remember  you  when  you  leave  this  earth,  for 
your  kindness." 

"If  I  let  the  white  slaves  go  they  will  want  revenge; 
they  will  get  more  of  their  kind,  and  they  will  come  back 
and  try  to  murder  Reihana  and  his  people." 

"No,  Reihana,  I  will  promise  you  that  they  will  not 
come  back;   I  will  not  let  them." 

"Reihana  is  poor,  and  he  must  keep  the  slaves  for  ran- 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  283 

som,"  replied  the  cunning  old  chief,  as  an  avaricious 
gleam  stole  into  his  restless  eyes. 

"I  will  give  you  a  handful  of  money  for  each  of  the 
men,  if  you  will  let  them  go  with  me." 

"If  the  pakeha  will  give  Reihana  the  money  and  a 
nice  gun,  the  slaves  may  go." 

"You  may  have  the  money  and  a  nice  gun,  and  the  pris- 
oners may  then  go  with  me?" 

"Reihana  has  spoken,"  replied  the  chief  majestically 
straightening  up  and  trying  to  assume  a  royal  air,  as 
became  a  monarch  of  his  domains. 

Skillful  persistency  had  won;  the  bargain  was  com- 
pleted, and  the  prisoners,  after  having  been  subjected  to 
much  abuse  and  privation,  could  now  go  free.  It  was 
deemed  politic  to  leave  the  village  with  the  least  possible 
delay,  for  Reihana  might  demand  more  ransom  or  go 
back  on  his  word,  if  they  tarried. 

The  captives  had  been  patient  and  silent  listeners  to 
Mr,  Young's  pleadings  for  their  liberty,  and  when  the 
negotiations  terminated  successfully  their  very  souls  were 
filled  with  joy;  tears  came  to  their  eyes;  their  faces 
silently  expressed  undying  gratitude  to  their  benefactor, 
but  they  made  no  audible  demonstrations  of  happiness, 
it  would  not  do  in  the  presence  of  the  natives.  If  they 
had,  the  chief  would  have  been  sure  to  retract  from  the 
bargain. 

Mr.  Young  had  come  provided  with  an  ample  supply 
of  small  coins  to  barter  with  the  natives.  They  think  a 
great  deal  more  of  a  handful  of  silver  bits  than  a  bank- 
note representing  ten  times  the  value  of  the  coin.  He 
gave  Reihana  three  liberal  handfuls  of  money,  being 
equivalent  to  about  two  pounds  sterling,  and  the  rifle 
which  the  chief  coveted.  The  mechanism  of  the  arm, 
however,  was  too  much  for  his  understanding,  so  Cap- 
tain Ashton  became  his  tutor  and  taught  Reihana  to  use 
the  repeater,  and  gave  him  twenty  rounds  of  ammunition. 

The  chief,  when  he  was  able  to  load  and  fire  himself, 


284  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

was  very  proud  of  his  possession,  and,  consequently,  he 
enjoyed  good  spirits. 

Mr,  Stillman  suggested  that  they  return  to  Orakei- 
Korako  as  soon  as  possible,  and  they  all  recognized  the 
logic  of  his  suggestion,  and  immediate  preparations 
were  made  to  retrace  their  steps. 

Owing  to  the  weak  and  attenuated  condition  of  the 
now  free  men,  it  was  agreed  that  they  should  ride,  and  that 
those  of  the  expedition  should  walk  by  turns  to  make 
room  for  the  captives  that  were. 

Reihana  pressed  them  to  make  a  longer  visit,  but  Mr. 
Young  kindly  refused,  saying  that  a  ship  was  waiting  for 
him  at  the  coast  and  they  must  return  without  delay. 
This  was  not  the  only  reason,  for  it  was  noticed  that  the 
chief  was  the  only  one  of  his  tribe  that  appeared  to  be 
pleased  with  the  course  that  matters  had  taken.  In  fact, 
this  was  perfectly  natural,  as  Reihana  had  been  the  recip- 
ient of  the  ransom.  His  subordinates,  no  doubt,  were 
extremely  jealous,  and  they  did  not  appear  to  enjoy  the 
loss  of  their  slaves.  Sullen  faces  and  vindictive  looks 
were  the  result,  and  as  the  Americans  mounted  to  depart, 
the  Maoris  gathered  in  small  groups,  and  from  their  ac- 
tions it  was  judged  that  heated  discussions  were  taking 
place.  They  kept  looking  toward  their  visitors,  and  Mr, 
Young  had  no  doubt  but  that  the  controverted  question 
or  questions  concerned  him  and  his  companions. 

At  last  the  leaders  of  the  troop  bade  Reihana  good  day, 
made  him  a  final  present  of  a  gilded  hand-mirror  with 
which  he  was  as  pleased  as  a  child,  and  filed  out  of  the 
enclosure.  As  the  cavalcade  passed  through  the  gate 
and  descended  the  hill  toward  the  forest,  Mr.  Stillman 
said: 

"We  have  not  seen  the  last  of  Reihana*s  tribe  yet,  and 
if  they  do  not  follow  us  and  make  trouble  if  they  can,  I 
am  very  much  deceived." 

"I  am  afraid  that  last  present  did  more  harm  than  good : 
it  set  the  already  angry  natives  to  boiling  with  rage," 


FREDERICK    YOU  NO.  285 

and  as  the  captain  spoke  one  of  the  sailors  called  his  at- 
tention to  a  large  body  of  Maoris  which  was  skulking 
down  the  hill  toward  the  forest,  and  they  were  armed  with 
their  rude  weapons,  which  was  a  significant  fact. 

"The  rascals  know  the  route  we  are  going  to  take,  and 
they  are  preparing  to  execute  a  flank  movement,  and  we 
must  do  something  to  thwart  their  plans.  If  we  were  to 
meet  them  face  to  face  I  have  no  aoubt  but  that  we  could 
give  them  a  reception  that  they  would  long  remember, 
but  they  will  probably  lie  in  ambush  and  surprise  us," 
said  Mr.  Young. 

The  three  men  whom  Mr.  Young  had  done  such  a 
great  service  had  not  had  time  to  say  much,  but  they  had 
warmly  pressed  his  hand  and  assured  him  that  they  would 
never  forget  the  obligation  to  which  he  had  subjected 
them. 

Mr.  Young  replied  that  he  had  but  done  his  duty,  and 
later  he  would  like  to  hear  their  story  and  make  arrange- 
ments so  that  they  could  reach  home. 

When  the  forest  was  reached  the  horses  were  urged 
into  a  sharp  canter,  and  when  some  two  miles  had  been 
placed  between  the  party  and  the  village,  a  short  halt 
was  made  by  Joel  Stanton's  advice.  He  was  one  of  the 
rescued  men,  and  he  said  that  there  was  another  path 
from  the  village  leading  toward  Orakei-Korako,  and  that 
it  met  the  path  they  were  now  traveling  about  a  mile 
ahead.  He  thought  the  Maoris  had  followed  that  path 
with  the  intention  of  making  an  attack  at  the  convergence 
mentioned. 

This  information  was  accepted  as  probably  true,  and  a 
plan  to  frustrate  the  savages  was  at  once  formulated.  As 
a  momentary  precaution  the  men  all  dismounted  and  led 
their  horses  into  the  dense  forest  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from 
the  road.  The  hard,  rocky  bed  of  a  running  brook  was 
chosen  for  a  path,  so  no  tracks  were  left  for  Maori  trailers 
to  follow.  When  an  almost  impenetrable  mass  of  Nor- 
folk Island  pines  and  rimu  trees,  which  have  a  striking 


286  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

resemblance  to  the  common  cypress,  were  reached,  a  halt 
was  made. 

A  flock  of  noisy  birds  kept  up  a  constant  chatter  over- 
head, and  by  their  generally  green  plumage  and  a  con- 
spicuous red  throat  band.  Captain  Ashton  recognized 
them  as  the  kakariki  of  the  Maoris.  A  taupo  was  also 
made  out  by  his  prominent  black  whiskers.  Supple-jack 
grew  in  abundance  overhead  and  the  everlasting  ferns 
formed  a  verdant  growth  underfoot. 

"Now,"  said  Mr.  Young,  "what  shall  we  do?  What 
route  shall  we  follow?" 

"I  have  a  plan,  Mr.  Young,  which  I  think  will  outwit 
the  natives,  but  at  the  same  time  make  rather  rough 
traveling  for  us,"  said  Adolphe. 

"What  is  your  plan?" 

"It  is  that  we  abandon  the  idea  of  returning  over  the 
Lake  Taupo  route,  and  also  via  Orakei-Korako.  My 
plan  is  to  make  directly  for  the  Waikato,  cross  the  river, 
follow  its  northeast  bank  until  we  pass  the  loop  just  be- 
yond the  Pairoa  Range,  then  make  a  straight  course  for 
Tarawara  on  the  Napier  road.  This  will  necessitate 
crossing  the  Kaingaroa  Plain  and  Raimanawa  Range  at 
a  point  where  the  country  has  not  been  much  broken  by 
men,  but  I  do  not  think  we  will  experience  any  great 
diflficulty  by  so  doing;  and  we  will,  I  am  sure,  throw  the 
Maoris  oflF  our  track.  Another  thing,  it  is  much  nearer 
and  it  will  probably  be  quicker  than  returning  the  same 
way  we  came." 

"The  plan  seems  to  be  a  good  one,"  said  Mr.  Stillman, 
consulting  his  pocket  map  of  the  North  Island. 

"We  will  adopt  what  you  approve  of,  Adolphe,  be- 
cause you  ought  and  probably  do  know  better  than  we," 
added  Mr.  Young. 

The  party  immediately  moved  toward  the  river,  and 
while  they  traversed  the  dense  growth  of  trees  and  scrub 
they  continued  to  lead  their  animals.  Even  the  liberated 
prisoners,  by  partaking  of  some  concentrated  food  and 


FREDERICK   YOUNG,  287 

stimulants,  had  become  strong  enough  to  walk  with  their 
benefactors.  The  river  was  near,  and  as  the  expedition 
approached  it  the  trees  were  more  scattering  and  the 
ground  became  more  rocky  and  uneven.  Huge  tree 
ferns,  the  most  beautiful  representatives  of  the  vegetable 
kingdom,  grew  here  and  there  and  made  one  almost  think 
that  one  was  living  in  the  carboniferous  age;  but  there 
were  no  huge  moas  stalking  around,  and  the  pterodactyl 
had  long  since  ceased  to  shriek  overhead.  The  fumes 
and  stench  from  the  hot  sulphur  and  saline  springs,  too, 
but  added  to  the  delusion;  and  they  seemed,  at  this  par- 
ticular point,  to  exist  on  every  hand.  Excellent  speci- 
mens of  the  rata  and  pohutukawa  trees  here  grew  to  large 
dimensions,  and  Mr.  Stillman  stated  that  both  of  these 
trees  were  much  used  in  ship-building  and  that  the  former 
make  durable  railway  ties. 

Adolphe  informed  his  companions  that  large  quanti- 
ties of  gum  were  exhumed  from  the  soil  at  this  point, 
which  came  from  the  kauri  forests  which  have  moul- 
dered away  in  past  ages.  This  gum  is  exported,  and  it 
is  said  to  form  a  valuable  substitute  for  gum-mastic,  which 
is  so  extensively  used  as  the  base  of  fine  varnishes. 

The  rushing  Waikato  was  soon  reached,  but  at  a  point 
where  the  precipitous  banks  and  tumbling  cascades  ren- 
dered the  river  impassable.  The  little  troop,  however, 
was  not  at  all  disheartened  by  this  obstacle.  They  phil- 
osophically resolved  to  follow  the  bank  until  a  fordable 
place  was  found.  At  last,  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  mile  be- 
low, at  a  place  where  the  rocks  gently  inclined  to  the 
margin  of  the  stream,  the  river  was  safely  crossed.  To 
be  sure  the  horses  had  to  swim  the  channel,  but  compel- 
ling one's  animal  to  swim  is  an  absolutely  necessary  ad- 
junct to  New  Zealand  equestrianism. 

As  the  sun  neared  the  western  horizon  it  was  covered 
by  piles  of  inky-black  clouds,  which  were  rapidly  rising 
toward  the  zenith,  and  Adolphe  said  they  portended  a 
violent  tempest,  and  vivid  flashes  of  lightning  which 


288  FREDERICK   YOUNG. 

occasionally  shot  from  and  partially  illuminated  the 
murky  mass,  but  served  to  corroborate  his  prediction. 
The  horses  were  urged  forward  at  a  more  rapid  rate,  for 
the  Pairoa  Range,  which  was  then  in  sight,  the  expedition 
had  determined  to  reach  before  the  storm  overtook  them. 
A  shelter  might  be  obtained  there,  and  a  refuge  during 
a  genuine  New  Zealand  tempest  is  very  acceptable,  as  the 
electric  storms  around  these  islands  are  usually  very 
severe.  It  was  quite  good  traveUng  and  the  fire  flew  from 
the  horses'  feet  as  they  struck  basaltic  debris  underfoot, 
while  the  Hght  pumice  stones  were  sent  flying  in  all  di- 
rections. Great  care,  too,  had  to  be  exercised  to  avoid 
the  boiling  springs,  as  a  plunge  into  one  of  them  would 
be  very  uncomfortable,  if  it  did  not  end  the  earthly  exist- 
ence of  the  victim. 

The  dark-blue  range  ahead  soon  appeared  more  dis- 
tinct. The  rabbits  were  scared  from  their  coverts  in  the 
tough,  wiry  grass  and  tea  scrub,  and  they  bounded  away 
in  fright.  The  captain  might  have  had  great  sport  with 
these  quadrupeds,  had  not  the  rumbling  of  the  approach- 
ing storm  warned  him  not  to  tarry  by  the  way.  Even  the 
harriers  scaled  by  on  silent  wings  without  paying  any 
attention  to  the  rabbits,  which  at  other  times,  they — the 
birds — would  have  pounced  upon  with  vicious  fury. 

Adolphe  was  quite  well  acquainted  with  that  section  of 
the  country  lying  around  the  Pairoa  Range,  and  he  had 
in  mind  a  sheltered  nook,  on  the  side  of  the  hill;  and  he 
was,  in  the  semi-darkness,  trying  to  reach  this  spot  before 
the  storm  broke  upon  them. 

Before  any  rain  had  fallen  the  head  of  the  range  had 
been  reached,  and  the  Maketu  road  was  passed.  The 
whole  western  sky  was  as  black  as  ink ;  zigzag  flashes  of 
electric  fluid  shot  across  the  heavens;  the  distant  rolling 
and  jarring  of  thunder  were  almost  incessant;  directly 
over  head  the  edge  of  the  dark  cumulus  clouds  were 
boiling  and  surging  ahead  in  a  violent  manner,  indicating 
considerable    wind    and    great   meteorological  disturb- 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  289 

ances,  while  at  this  time  the  air  was  calm  and  animated 
nature  was  awed  into  silence. 

The  horses'  hoofs  resounded  as  they  rapidly  struck  the 
rocky  bank  of  the  Waikato.  The  great  buttress  of  the 
mountain  range  had  been  doubled  when  big  drops  of  cold 
rain  began  to  fall  on  and  around  the  travelers.  Adolphe 
at  this  time  announced  that  their  goal  was  at  hand.  It 
had  grown  dark  rapidly,  but  thanks  to  their  guide's 
knowledge  of  the  country,  before  the  storm  was  really 
upon  them  they  were  under  an  overhanging  cliff  and 
protected  from  wind  and  rain. 

The  rocky  covering  was  about  twenty  feet  above  their 
heads  and  it  projected  some  ten  feet  beyond  the  base  of 
the  declivity.  Kawaka  and  Matai  trees  grew  around 
the  bluffs,  raising  their  shapely  forms  sixty  and  seventy 
feet  above  the  ground.  They  assisted,  in  no  small  meas- 
ure, in  protecting  the  little  camp  that  night  from  wind  and 
weit. 

The  weary  horses  were  tethered  under  the  cliff  and  the 
ferns  which  grew  there  in  abundance  provided  a  com- 
fortable bed,  and  the  succulent  grass  did  not  go  a-beg- 
ging, for  the  hungry  animals  devoured  it  with  avidity. 

It  was  not  considered  safe  to  light  a  fire,  for  Reihana's 
tribe  might  still  be  on  the  trail;  however,  they  had  not 
been  seen  since  leaving  the  village,  and  it  was  thought 
that  they  had  been  misled  and  left  in  the  rear.  The  pro- 
visions stored  in  the  saddle  packs  were  resorted  to,  and 
the  supper  was  eaten  in  darkness,  periodically  illumined 
by  dazzling  flashes  of  lightning,  which  were  followed  by 
deafening  crashes  of  thunder  that  fairly  made  the  rocks 
tremble.  The  rain  seemed  to  come  down  in  sheets,  and 
especially  after  a  heavy  detonation,  the  water,  it  was 
noticed,  descended  in  torrents. 

In  a  little  while  the  country  became  flooded,  but  luckily 
the  ground  under  the  cliff  was  much  higher  than  the  sur- 
rounding land,  which  was  evidenced  by  the  ingress  of 
rabbits,  huge  rats  and  ground  lizards.     Even  the  Apteryx 


290  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

visited  camp  that  evening.  It  was  a  happy  family,  how- 
ever, for  they  had  all  sought  a  shelter  and  high  land  to 
escape  a  common  danger,  and  they  did  not  notice  or  dis- 
turb each  other. 

The  storm  continued  throughout  the  evening  with 
unabated  fury  and  the  wind  blew  with  such  violence  that 
many  giant  trees  were  prostrated  with  a  crash,  never  to 
rise  again.  Great  boulders  were  dislodged  from  their 
elevated  sites,  and  they  came  rolling  and  crashing  down 
the  declivities  with  frightful  velocity,  leaping  over  the 
precipices,  and  ending  their  career  by  a  splashing  thud 
on  the  flooded  ground  below. 

The  great  disturbances  of  nature  without  did  not  dis- 
turb the  Americans  and  their  allies  under  the  sheltering 
cliff.  In  fact,  the  confliction  of  the  elements  made  it 
seem  more  cozy  and  comfortable  to  the  expedition.  The 
bluish  glare  from  the  nearly  incessant  electrical  flashes 
only  served  to  enliven  the  scene,  and  the  water  which 
continued  to  descend  with  unrelinquishing  copiousness 
could  not  harm  the  men  and  beasts  snugly  ensconced 
under  the  rocks. 

Reihana's  treacherous  and  bloodthirsty  cannibals  had 
been  bafifled,  and  by  this  time  they  had  undoubtedly  re- 
turned to  their  pah  and  consoled  themselves  by  feasting 
their  sight  on  their  vast  and  multitudinous  collections  of 
human  skulls  which  profusely  adorn  their  whares.  These 
bony  relics  probably  recall  many  feasts  and  triumphs  to 
the  carnivorous  Maoris. 

Mr.  Young,  during  a  slight  lull  in  the  storm,  asked  the 
Californians  how  they  came  to  reach  the  North  Island  in 
such  a  helpless  condition  and  in  such  a  storm. 

"Well,"  said  Joel  Stanton,  the  speaker  of  the  trio,  "our 
ship  was  a  trader;  she  was  a  rakish,  cleanly  built 
schooner,  and  she  could  show  a  clean  pair  of  heels  to  any 
craft  of  her  size  that  cleaved  the  waves  of  the  South  Pa- 
cific. I  refer  to  the  Olivette  of  San  Francisco,  commanded 
by  Captain  William  C.  Elkins,  of  Riverside,  Cal.     We 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  201 

left  the  Golden  Gate  in  January,  '8i,  and  we  had  visited 
the  Friendly  and  Tonga  Islands,  when  we  were  caught 
in  a  heavy  gale  from  the  northeast,  and  the  best  thing 
we  could  do  was  to  scud  before  it,  which  we  did.  When 
the  storm  subsided  we  found  ourselves  between  Cook's 
Strait  and  Chatham  Island.  We  were  short  of  fresh 
water  and  so  we  put  into  Hawke  Bay  for  a  supply, 
and  we  three  were  detailed  to  replenish  the  casks. 
The  Olivette  was  anchored  a  half-league  off  shore,  and 
when  we  had  obtained  a  sufficient  quantity  of  water  and 
were  ready  to  return  to  the  ship,  we  found  that  a  dense 
fog  covered  the  bay  and  completely  hid  the  vessel  from 
us.  We  had  no  compass,  but  thought  we  could  locate 
the  ship,  so  we  started  to  return  but  got  confused,  and 
then  we  could  neither  find  our  vessel  nor  the  shore.  We 
rowed  around  nearly  all  night,  in  the  vain  hope  of  acci- 
dentally coming  in  contact  with  the  ship  or  the  shore. 
Toward  morning  the  wind  freshened  and  a  heavy  sea  was 
the  result,  but  the  gale  which  soon  sprang  up  had  one 
good  efifect;  it  completely  dissipated  the  fog  and  we  could 
see  the  shore  some  two  leagues  away,  but  the  Olivette  was 
not  in  sight  nor,  in  fact,  any  other  craft.  Our  boat  was 
small  and  the  sea  threatened  to  swamp  her  every  moment, 
and  then  the  wind  kept  increasing  in  force,  and — " 

At  this  juncture  the  narrative  was  forcibly  interrupted. 
A  fine  kawaka  tree,  nearly  one  hundred  feet  high  and 
three  feet  in  diameter,  which  stood  thirty  feet  from  the 
camp,  was  shattered  by  a  thunderbolt.  The  flash  was 
blinding;  the  crash  made  all  in  camp  deaf  for  several 
minutes,  while  the  horses  snorted  and  tugged  at  their 
fastenings  in  terror.  The  majestic  giant  of  the  forest  had 
been  shattered  so  that  only  a  part  of  the  dilapidated  trunk 
remained.  The  potent  fluid,  which  in  this  enlightened 
age  even,  is  imperfectly  known,  had  destroyed  in  a  sec- 
ond what  had  been  perhaps  a  hundred  years  or  more  in 
growing.     Such  is  the  fickleness  of  all-powerful  nature. 

"The  lightning,"  said  Mr.  Stillman,  "impolitely  inter- 


292  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

rupted  you,  Mr.  Stanton,  but  we  may  consider  ourselves 
extremely  fortunate  in  not  being  served  in  a  worse 
manner." 

"That  was  a  close  shave,"  said  Stanton,  "and  I  really 
believe  I  have  forgotten  where  I  left  off  talking," 

"I  believe  you  were  telling  us  about  the  violence  of  the 
storm  after  the  fog  cleared  away,"  said  Mr.  Young. 

"Well,"  continued  Stanton,  "the  sea  was  so  rough  and 
the  wind  so  strong  that  we  concluded  to  row  ashore  and 
find  some  sheltered  inlet,  before  we  were  capsized  in  the 
middle  of  the  bay.  We  finally  got  in  near  shore,  but 
there  was  no  suitable  landing  place,  and  then  we  lost 
control  of  the  boat  by  first  losing  our  rudder,  and  next 
by  breaking  an  oar.  This  disaster  was  followed  by  a 
monster  wave  catching  us  and  driving  us  ashore  at  rail- 
road speed.  We  were  landed  high  and  dry  on  the  shingle 
in  short  order,  and  unharmed  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
bruises. 

We  were  just  congratulating  ourselves  on  our  good 
fortune,  when  a  tribe  of  Maoris,  who  had  evidently  wit- 
nessed the  whole  proceeding,  pounced  upon  us  and  we 
were  soon  their  prisoners,  with  our  arms  bound  behind 
our  backs  and  our  pockets  rifled  of  their  contents.  The 
savages  immediately  set  out  for  their  village,  which  was 
then  near  Taupo  Lake,  just  a  little  west  of  the  Waikato. 
Subsequently  we  were  moved  up  the  river  to  the  point 
where  you  found  us.  At  first  we  were  treated  decently, 
but  we  were  subjected  to  forced  marches  and  on  short 
rations.  After  we  reached  the  village,  however,  we  were 
treated  like  dogs  and  made  to  do  all  of  the  dirty  drudgery 
of  the  village,  like  slaves,  which  we  really  were. 

"For  over  a  year  we  lived  that  loathsome  life;  our 
food  was  miserable,  our  clothes  got  ragged  and  dirty,  and 
we  could  not  procure  new  habiliments.  At  times  we  were 
subjected  to  cruel  indignities  that  fairly  made  our  blood 
boil  within  our  veins,  but  if  we  had  retorted  by  word  or 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  293 

act  a  worse  fate  would  have  been  our  lot.  Acquiescence 
to  our  inhuman  masters  was  our  only  course.  When 
Reihana  said  that  we  would  return  for  vengeance  he 
knew  how  we  had  been  treated,  and  how  we  would  feel 
toward  him  and  his  tribe  of  cannibals.  They  are  canni- 
bals and  nothing  else.  Many  are  the  sickening  feasts  of 
these  ogreish  monsters  that  we  have  witnessed,  and  their 
meat  was  human  flesh,  too.  When  they  took  prisoners 
in  battle,  they  would  have  one  of  their  demoniacal  gath- 
erings and  a  grand  feast,  after  their  victims  had  been  tor- 
tured nearly  to  death.  If  we  had  not  been  white,  we 
would  have  been  served  in  the  same  manner,  but  it  is  pro- 
verbial amongst  the  tribe  that  the  white  pakehas'  flesh  is 
not  fit  to  eat.  The  fact  is  that  civilized  man  takes  too 
much  salt  and  too  many  condiments  into  his  system,  with 
the  result  of  imparting  to  his  flesh  a  flavor  not  relished 
by  the  Maori  connoisseur, 

"I  would  like  to  go  back  there,  and  so  would  my  com- 
panions in  misery,  and  exterminate  Reihana  and  his 
whole  tribe.  It  would  be  a  great  satisfaction  to  us  and  a 
blessing  to  humanity  in  general." 

"I  advise  you  not  to  attempt  to  do  anything  of  the 
kind,  Mr.  Stanton.  Now  you  are  safe,  but  if  you  return 
for  vengeance  it  may  not  be  yours,  for  the  savages  might 
again  make  you  prisoners,  and  probably  you  would  then 
be  treated  worse  than  you  were  before.  And  further, 
what  has  passed  cannot  be  undone;  you  had  better  let 
the  Almighty  punish  these  misdeeds,  and  thank  him  for 
your  present  deliverance,"  said  Mr.  Stillman. 

"Yes,  friends,  follow  Mr.  Stillman's  advice.  If  we  ar- 
rive safely  at  Napier,  where  my  yacht  is  in  waiting,  I 
will  take  you  to  Auckland  and  give  you  money  enough  to 
enable  you  to  once  more  pass  through  the  Golden  Gate 
and  reach  your  homes,"  added  Mr.  Young. 

"God  bless  you,  sir!  We  can  never  repay  you  for  your 
kindness  to  us,"  Stanton  said  in  an  agitated  voice. 

"Never  mind  repaying,  my  friends;    a  knowledge  of 


294  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

doing  good,  and  one's  duty,  is  an  ample  remuneration," 
Mr.  Young  kindly  replied. 

It  was  getting  late,  the  rain  still  continued  to  descend, 
but  in  lesser  quantities;  the  lightning  still  periodically 
illuminated  the  surrounding  country,  but  it  seemed  to  be 
farther  away  than  it  was  in  the  early  part  of  the  evening, 
and  the  thunder  rumbled  in  the  distance.  Practically  the 
storm  was  over. 

All  hands  were  tired  after  the  exertions  of  the  day,  and 
when  they  came  to  roll  themselves  within  their  blankets 
and  to  lie  on  the  beds  of  fern,  sleep  came  quickly  to  relax 
and  to  recuperate  the  strained  tissues  of  their  bodies. 

Everybody  was  astir  early  the  following  morning.  The 
violent  tempest  of  the  night  before  had  entirely  passed 
away;  the  flooded  plain  had  been  drained  into  the  Wai- 
kato;  all  of  the  vegetation  appeared  brilliantly  green; 
diamond-like  drops  of  water  vibrated  on  every  leaf;  the 
sky  was  of  a  pure  azure  hue ;  the  ozone-like  atmosphere 
was  exhilarating  in  the  extreme;  the  sun  shone  resplend- 
ently  as  it  rose  over  the  rugged  heights  of  the  Kaimanawa 
mountains;  the  birds  sang  joyfully,  and  the  fresh  and 
pleasant  environments  seemed  to  act  as  a  tonic  on  the 
spirits  of  the  members  of  the  expedition. 

During  breakfast  Adolphe  announced  that  they  were 
but  fourteen  miles  from  the  terraced  baths  of  Roto 
Mahana. 

"Is  it  possible?  In  what  direction  are  they?"  asked 
Mr.  Stillman. 

"Directly  north  of  us,  and  the  route  there  is  easy  travel- 
ing, as  the  Maketu  road  leads  in  that  direction." 

"Mr.  Young,  cannot  we  spare  time  to  visit  the  natural 
baths?  It  is  a  chance  of  a  lifetime;  I  have  been  longing 
to  see  Roto  Mahana  for  years,"  said  Mr.  Stillman. 

"We  really  ought  not  to  delay.  How  long  will  it  take 
us  to  visit  the  lake  and  return  to  this  point?"  Mr.  Young 
asked  the  guide. 

"We  can  do  it  in  twelve  hours  easily,  and  then  we  need 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  295 

not  return  here,  we  can  strike  off  across  the  plain  toward 
the  Napier  road  from  the  terraces.  The  lake  is  well  worth 
a  visit,  monsieur;  there  is  nothing  more  beautiful  in 
New  Zealand  than  the  terraces,"  returned  Adolphe. 

"Well,  we  will  go  and  see  the  lake;  lead  the  way, 
Adolphe,"  said  Mr.  Young. 

Five  minutes  later  the  party  was  dashing  along  the 
bank  of  the  Waikato,  bound  for  Roto  Mahana. 

At  9  o'clock  Kaiteriria  was  passed.  Lake  Tarawera 
was  next  sighted,  and  at  lo  o'clock  the  party  arrived  at 
Roto  Mahana,  which  empties  its  warm  waters  through 
a  small  river  into  Lake  Tarawera.  They  all  dismounted 
at  the  white  terraces,  and  left  the  horses  in  the  care  of 
the  Maoris. 

The  white  terraces  are  on  one  side  of  the  lake,  and  the 
pink  terraces,  so-called,  are  on  the  other.  In  reality 
both  are  pink,  but  the  latter  are  much  deeper  colored 
than  the  former;  in  fact,  the  pink  in  places  merges  into  a 
beautiful  salmon  color.  The  white  terraces  in  form  and 
grandeur  are  much  finer  to  contemplate  than  the  pink, 
but  the  latter  are  used  more  for  bathing  purposes.  The 
white  are  200  feet  high  and  about  300  feet  in  width.  They 
are  formed  of  a  soft,  friable  silica,  deposited  by  the  hot 
springs  above,  which  pour  their  contents  over  the  terraces 
into  the  lake.  Shell-like  baths  have  been  formed  from 
top  to  base  arranged  in  stair-like  terraces.  The  hot  water 
falls  over  the  upper  edge  into  the  first  row  of  baths ;  these 
in  turn  overflow  and  precipitate  their  surplus  water  into 
the  next  lower  row  of  concavities,  and  thus  they  con- 
tinue until  the  "blue  liquid  reaches  the  lake  level  far  below. 
At  the  top  the  water  is  nearly  boiling,  but  when  it  falls 
into  the  lower  baths  it  is  but  just  tepid;  so  one  may 
choose  any  temperature  one  desires  for  his  ablutions. 

"These  are  indeed  beautiful,  and  they  are  worth  com- 
ing from  the  Waikato  to  see,"  Mr.  Young  remarked. 

"The  natives  say  we  should  not  bathe  here,  but  go  to 


296  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

the  pink  terraces  for  that  purpose,  for  they  are  much 
more  attractive,"  said  Mr.  Stillman. 

"Let  us  look  these  over  and  then  we  will  cross  the  lake," 
Mr.  Young  rejoined. 

As  they  ascended,  new  beauties  were  unfolded  to  their 
view.  The  natural  baths  varied  from  one  to  five  feet  in 
depth,  and  they  reminded  the  visitors  of  huge  pink  and 
white  shells  set  in  the  terraced  declivities.  The  edges 
were  hung  with  delicately  tinted  clusters  of  stalactites, 
forming  charming  combinations  of  color,  in  which  sul- 
phur-yellow, sap-green,  and  pink  prevailed.  After 
climbing  to  the  top  and  looking  at  the  big  pools  of  boiling 
hot,  cobalt  blue  water,  and  taking  a  hasty  survey  of  the 
surrounding  country,  the  party  descended  to  the  lake 
shore. 

A  dozen  canoes  were  in  waiting,  and  the  Maoris  in 
charge  soon  carried  the  Americans  to  the  opposite  shore 
and  landed  them  at  the  pink  terraces. 

Roto  Mahana  is  about  one  mile  long  and  a  half  mile 
wide,  and  the  numerous  hot  springs  around  the  shore  of 
the  lake  keep  the  water  perpetually  warm. 

The  pink  terraces  were  beautiful  beyond  compare;  the 
rich  colors,  the  delicate  fret  work,  the  exquisitely  wrought 
cornices  and  pendants  were  too  magnificent  for  any  pen 
to  adequately  describe. 

"In  all  my  travels  I  have  never  seen  anything  to  equal 
this,"  said  Captain  Ashton  rapturously. 

"The  immutable  laws  of  nature  lavishly  adorn  her 
handiwork  regardless  of  time  or  expense,"  Mr.  Stillman 
added. 

"Yes,  and  nature  cares  not  whether  wild  beasts,  sav- 
ages, or  the  acme  of  her  labors — civilized  man — enjoy  the 
benefits  of  her  exertions,"  said  Mr.  Young.  "But,  never 
mind  about  that,  the  world-famous  baths  provided  by  an 
occult  but  potential  hand  are  before  us.  Let  us  test  their 
efficacy  to  cleanse  and  to  soothe." 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  297 

A  moment  later  they  were  sporting  in  the  baths.  The 
leading  gentlemen  of  the  expedition  ascended  some  fifty 
feet,  and  on  these  elevated  terraces  they  found  a  salmon- 
colored  concavity  in  which  the  three  could  plunge  and 
sport  with  perfect  freedom  from  observation.  The  water 
was  five  feet  deep  in  the  center,  and  its  temperature  was 
just  right  to  suit  the  bathers.  The  water  trickhng  down 
from  above  produced  harmonious  sounds ;  the  surround- 
ings were  lavishly  embellished  with  well  blended  tints; 
the  deep  blue  sky  was  begemmed  with  fleecy  white  cloud- 
lets; the  view  below  was  charming;  the  blue  lakes,  the 
verdant  hills,  the  white  terraces;  the  native  village  pic- 
turesquely situated,  and  the  canoes  moving  here  and  there 
over  the  surface  of  the  water  combined  in  forming  envi- 
ronments that  the  Americans  would  long  remember.  The 
rock  was  soft  to  the  touch;  they  could  strike  their  limbs 
or  bodies  against  it,  but  it  would  neither  bruise  nor  cause 
pain;  they  could  rub  against  it,  but  the  friction  was  not 
unpleasant,  for  the  vitreous-like  deposit  of  silica  mitigated 
the  roughness  of  the  terraces  from  top  to  base,  and  the 
bathers  could  wander  from  bath  to  bath  without  hurting 
their  bare  feet.  It  was  a  sensual  pleasure  to  wander 
over  the  terraces  testing  bath  after  bath,  but  as  the  bathers 
got  near  the  top  the  water  became  too  hot  for  their  flesh 
to  bear. 

An  hour  was  spent  among  the  baths,  and  then  all  hands 
dressed  and  ascended  to- the  top  of  the  terraces.  The 
great  pool  there  was  one  quarter  of  a  mile  in  diameter, 
and  the  water  boiled  constantly.  The  rnineral  sub- 
stances held  in  solution  gave  it  a  decidedly  blue  cast, 
which  formed  a  pleasing  contrast  to  the  clouds  of  white 
steam  which  were  continually  rising  from  the  ebullient 
liquid.  The  rocks  in  places  were  beautifully  encrusted 
with  sulphur  deposits,  which  had  assumed  a  delicate 
green  hue  where  they  were  unexposed,  and  in  places 
white,  pink  and  salmon  colored  masses  were  pleasingly 
intermixed. 


298  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

"These  terraces  are  the  most  wonderful  and  the  most 
beautiful  of  any  freak  of  nature  I  have  ever  seen,"  Mr. 
Young  remarked,  as  the  party  was  recrossing  Roto  Ma- 
hana. 

"And  how  convenient  they  are  for  the  natives.  I  really 
wish  I  had  one  of  these  baths  at  home,  provided  it  was 
operated  by  nature,  like  these,"  Mr.  Stillman  added. 

"It  would,  indeed,  be  a  luxury,  but  one  we  can  never 
enjoy,"  Mr.  Young  replied. 

At  2  o'clock  the  cavalcade  filed  out  of  the  Maori  village 
on  the  return  to  the  Waikato.  The  idea  of  crossing  the 
mountains  had  been  abandoned ;  it  was  thought  that  time 
would  be  saved  by  again  rounding  the  southern  spur  of 
the  Pairoa  Range. 


FREDERICK   YOUNG,  399 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

DISCONTENTED    SAILORS. 

The  party  arrived  at  the  river  before  dark  that  after- 
noon, and  early  the  following  morning  the  journey  was 
resumed.  The  route  led  into  and  across  the  Kaingaroa 
Plain,  which  was  about  fifteen  miles  wide  at  this  point. 
A  small  tributary  of  the  great  river  was  crossed  without 
much  difficulty,  and  on  its  east  bank  a  giant  geyser  was 
discovered  with  a  basin  thirty-two  feet  in  diameter  and 
from  one  to  two  feet  in  depth.  The  rim  of  the  basin, 
composed  of  siliceous  concretions,  sparkled  in  the  sun- 
light and  the  ebullition  of  the  clear,  sea-green  colored 
water  in  the  central  part  imparted  an  entrancing  beauty 
to  this  particular  geyser.  Steam  arose  in  a  fleecy  column, 
especially  from  that  part  directly  over  the  subterranean 
shaft. 

"I  wish  we  might  be  so  fortunate  as  to  witness  an 
eruption,"  remarked  Captain  Ashton  as  the  troop  rested 
and  observed, 

"It  has  been  said  that  the  frequency  of  the  eruptions 
of  certain  geysers  has  been  greatly  accelerated  by  throw- 
ing rocks,  turf  and  other  debris  into  the  shaft.  Those 
aflFected  in  this  way,  it  is  supposed,  have  shafts  which  con- 
verge at  the  bottom,  and  the  foreign  matter  cast  in  partly 
closes  these  openings.  The  objects  thrown  in  ofTer  re- 
sistance to  the  inclosed  steam  and  gas,  and  as  a  natural 
consequence  the  debris  and  the  superincumbent  water  are 
ejected  with  great  violence,  and  the  promulgators  of  the 
scheme  witness  an  eruption,"  said  Mr.  Stillman. 

"Let  us  try  to  induce  this  one  to  a  similar  artificial 
activity,"  said  Mr.  Young, 

Everybody  seemed  to  be  agreeable  and  they  fell  to 


300  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

gathering  all  the  stones  and  other  heavy  substances  that 
they  could  find  in  the  near  vicinity.  Soon  quite  a  pile 
of  basalt,  lava  and  a  black  vitreous  stone,  much  re- 
sembling obsidian,  all  of  volcanic  origin,  was  collected. 
At  a  preconcerted  signal  the  stones  and  fragments  were 
simultaneously  cast  into  the  hot  silica  water.  Consid- 
erable agility  was  required  to  escape  being  wet  with  the 
boiling  liquid,  which  was  splashed  recklessly  about  by 
the  falling  debris.  A  great  many  fragments,  no  doubt, 
failed  to  enter  the  shaft,  but  a  great  many  did  go  in,  as 
was  soon  made  evident  by  the  rumbling  sounds,  and  by 
the  trembling  of  the  ground.  Soon  a  rushing  noise  was 
heard,  and  the  Americans  and  Maoris  had  but  barely 
time  to  retreat  when  a  magnificent  column  of  water  shot 
from  the  subterranean  shaft  twenty-five  or  thirty  feet  into 
the  air.  The  descending  drops  sparkled  in  the  sunlight 
like  so  many  brilliants  of  the  first  water,  and  the  reflected 
rays  of  light  revealed  every  color  of  the  solar  spectrum. 
It  was  beautiful  beyond  description,  but  the  sight  was  a 
fugacious  pleasure;  it  lasted  but  a  few  seconds,  when  the 
water  fell,  and  that  which  had  been  previously  contained 
in  the  basin  nearly  all  subsided  into  the  shaft  with  a  gur- 
gling sound. 

A  natural  phenomenon,  which  it  is  the  good  fortune 
of  the  few  to  witness,  had  been  viewed  by  an  interested 
and  appreciative  audience.  Another  eruption  was  not 
likely  to  occur  for  some  time,  so  all  that  could  remount 
their  steeds,  did  so,  and  continued  their  journey  across 
the  plain  toward  the  distant  hills. 

The  country  was  level,  but  not  the  best  of  traveling, 
Tea-tree  scrub,  ferns,  Spaniards  and  the  everlasting 
pumice  stone  districts  made  the  passage  slower  than  it 
would  have  been  had  these  impediments  been  absent. 

Captain  Ashton  was  disgusted  with  the  country,  for 
there  was  no  game  for  him  to  capture  with  his  trusty  rifle, 
and  their  supply  of  food  needed  replenishing. 

Mr.  Stillman,  on  the  other  hand,  thought  that  the  small 


FREDERICK    YOUNO.  301 

and  insignificant  fauna  of  New  Zealand  ought  not  to  be 
grumbled  over,  for  if  the  country  were  infested  with  large 
carnivorous  animals,  as  most  of  sparsely  inhabited  lands 
are,  matters  might  be  a  great  deal  worse. 

"Give  me  the  carnivora;  the  change  would  be  agreea- 
ble," said  the  captain.  "I  have  not  met  a  boar,  a  single 
rabbit,  or  even  a  rat  on  this  plain,  and  by  the  way,  the 
latter  animal,  the  natives  say,  makes  an  excellent  soup." 

"I  for  one  can  do  very  well  without  that  kind  of  soup," 
interposed  Mr.  Young. 

It  was  warm  and  dusty  traveling,  but  nevertheless  be- 
fore the  sun  had  disappeared  behind  Mount  Taubara  the 
plain  had  been  traversed  and  the  moimtains  crossed. 
By  good  luck  an  easy  passage  was  discovered  leading 
across  the  range,  so  much  time  was  saved  thereby.  Al- 
lowing for  deviations  surely  thirty  miles  had  been  left 
in  the  rear  since  morning.  A  few  scattering  natives  had 
been  seen  during  the  day,  but  they  sensibly  kept  their 
distance. 

Camp  was  made  that  evening  on  the  eastern  slope  of 
the  mountain  range.  Plenty  of  pigeons,  rabbits  and  the 
edible  root  of  a  fern  were  found  among  the  forest-clad 
foothills,  and  these  eatables  were  a  welcome  acquisition  to 
the  bill  of  fare. 

Early  the  next  morning  the  little  troop  set  out  with 
the  expectation  of  striking  the  Napier  road  by  3  o'clock, 
but  instead  they  reached  it  before  noon,  and  they  dined 
at  the  villaee  of  Tarawara.  During  the  afternoon  the 
Waiaoao  River  was  recrossed  and  camp  that  night  was 
made  ten  miles  to  the  east.  Napier  was  not  more  than 
thirty  miles  away,  and  if  nothing  happened  the  town 
would  be  reached  on  the  morrow  and  the  journey  would 
be  at  an  end. 

The  camp  was  made  in  a  large  kauri  grove  just  oflf  the 
trail,  in  a  dry  and  sheltered  locality.  Of  course,  ferns, 
supple-jack  and  Spaniards  existed  there  in  prolific  abun- 
dance.    Many  unique  epiphytical  plants  of  rare  beauty 


302  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

were  collected  at  this  point  for  the  girls,  who  would  admire 
them  from  a  botanical  point  of  view. 

The  following  morning  Mr.  Stillman  and  Captain 
Ashton  sallied  forth  with  their  rifles  and  shot  gun  before 
sunrise,  as  camp  purveyors.  It  was  delightfully  cool 
and  refreshing.  In  fact,  it  would  have  been  a  perfect 
morning  if  the  miniature  vampires,  commonly  called 
mosquitoes,  had  not  been  so  abundant  and  so  persistently 
bloodthirsty.  Several  parrakeets  of  peculiar  form,  and 
gaudily  marked  with  different  shades  of  blue,  green,  red 
and  other  colors,  were  secured  to  increase  the  richness 
of  the  captain's  collection. 

Perhaps  a  mile  had  been  passed  over  when  the  hunters 
came  to  a  picturesque  valley  littered  with  igneous  and 
calcareous  rocks,  while  the  slopes  were  clothed  in  luxu- 
riant verdure.  A  part  of  this  valley  had  been  torrent 
swept,  and  at  a  point  where  the  surface  of  a  post-pliocene 
deposit  had  been  laid  bare,  huge  avian  bones,  in  an  ex- 
cellent state  of  preservation,  were  found  partially  im- 
bedded in  the  calcareous  sandstone. 

Mr.  Stillman  made  the  discovery,  and  he  called  the 
captain's  attention  to  the  find. 

"What  are  they,  the  remains  of  some  saurian  of  an- 
tiquity?" inquired  the  captain, 

"I  think  they  are  the  remains  of  some  gigantic  bird  that 
once  roamed  over  this  land.  The  giant  wingless  moa  or 
Dinornis  of  naturalists  is  found  in  this  section,  and  these 
fossils  may  belong  to  a  bird  of  that  species." 

"This  huge  bone  would  lead  one  to  think  so,"  the  cap- 
tain said,  pointing  with  his  rifle  at  a  massive  tibia  three 
feet  in  length, 

"Yes,  and  if  I  mistake  not  these  gravel  stones  you  see 
imbedded  with  the  bones  came  from  the  crops  of  the 
birds," 

"It  has  been  estimated  that  the  moa  stood  ten  or  eleven 
feet  high,  and  that  it  resembled  the  Apteryx  and  casso- 
wary in  some  respects,"  the  captain  added. 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  303 

"And  it  has  been  said,  too,  that  not  more  than  five  cen- 
turies ago  about  twenty  species  of  moas  frequented  the 
hill  sides  and  valleys  of  New  Zealand.  The  Maoris  have 
traditions  that  their  ancient  progenitors  hunted  these 
birds,  and  that  story  has  been  substantiated  by  finding 
moas'  bones  in  ancient  ovens,  and  if  you  remember  an 
egg  of  this  bird  was  found  resting  in  the  hands  of  a 
human  skeleton.  This  skeleton,  osteologists  say,  .be- 
longed to  one  of  the  New  Zealand  aborigines,"  said  Mr. 
Stillman. 

'T  remember  of  reading  about  the  egg  you  mention, 
and  if  I  recollect  rightly,  it  was  ten  inches  long  and  about 
seven  inches  in  diameter.  I  hope  we  may  meet  one  of 
those  giant  birds  this  morning,  it  would  be  quite  an  addi- 
tion to  my  ornithological  cabinet,"  jovially  exclaimed 
Captain  Ashton. 

"No  doubt,  my  friend,  but  that  day  has  passed  away 
never  to  return.  In  my  mind  the  mammoth  Dhwrnis 
will  never  tread  the  surface  of  New  Zealand  again.  The 
islands  have  been  too  well  hunted  of  late  years  for  the 
moa  to  still  exist  unknown  to  man," 

At  this  point  the  conversation  was  interrupted  by  a  wild 
hog  which  came  tearing  through  the  scrub  that  fringed 
the  valley  side,  and  he  headed  almost  toward  the  two 
hunters  in  his  wild  career  across  the  depression.  His 
eyes  had  a  wild  and  fiery  gleam  and  the  coarse  bristles  on 
his  back  were  erected  either  in  anger  or  in  fright. 

The  gentlemen  were  taken  by  surprise  and  they  did 
not  know  whether  the  animal  was  charging  them  or  sim- 
ply flying  from  a  foe. 

The  captain  did  not  care,  for  his  ready  rifle  sprang 
involuntarily  to  his  shoulder  and  simultaneously  a  sharp 
report  reverberated  through  the  valley.  The  hog  was 
not  more  than  twenty  feet  away  when  the  captain  fired, 
and  his  unerring  Winchester  did  not  fail  him,  for  the 
conical  ball  struck  the  pig  squarely  between  the  eyes  and 
the  poor  animal  dropped  his  head  and  turned  a  complete 


304  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

somersault.  When  the  two  men  walked  up  to  him,  he 
was  lying  on  his  back — dead. 

"He  is  your  pork,  captain,"  said  Mr.  Stillman  as  they 
approached. 

"Yes,  but  what  could  have  started  him  toward  us  is 
what  puzzles  me,"  said  Captain  Ashton,  looking  toward 
the  hill  from  whence  the  hog  had  come  as  if  he  would  find 
a  solution  of  the  mystery  there. 

Sure  enough  he  did,  for  some  twenty  ochre-bedaubed 
Maoris  had  just  emerged  from  the  forest,  and  they  were 
now  approaching  the  two  hunters  as  swiftly  as  their  naked 
limbs  could  carry  them.  They  were  on  the  war-path,  as 
was  made  evident  by  their  hideously  painted  faces  and 
plume-bedecked  hair,  while  they  fairly  bristled  with  their 
crude  weapons.  A  few,  however,  waved  percussion-cap 
guns  over  their  heads,  which  weapons  they  had  probably 
gotten  from  traders.  The  instant  they  left  the  scrub  they 
made  the  air  in  the  valley  resound  from  end  to  end  with 
their  hideous  cries. 

The  Americans  had  no  doubt  but  that  the  natives  were 
hostile,  and  so  the  white  men  immediately  looked  around 
for  a  place  of  refuge.  The  woods  were  too  far  away  to  be 
reached  before  the  fleet  unburdened  Maoris  overtook 
the  hunters.  A  mass  of  volcanic  rocks  not  over  fifty  feet 
from  where  the  two  men  stood  caught  the  captain's  eye. 

"Run  for  the  rocks,"  he  said,  "we  cannot  reach  the 
forest  in  time !" 

Both  men  rushed  for  the  shelter,  which  was  a  sort  of 
natural  fort,  for  there  were  massive  rocks  on  all  sides 
and  an  elevated  opening  in  the  center,  into  which  the  flee- 
ing men  clambered  with  remarkable  alacrity. 

The  savages  saw  the  retreat  and  they  redoubled  their 
cries  and  sent  a  cloud  of  arrows  and  several  bullets  after 
the  two  men,  which  left  no  doubt  in  the  Americans'  minds 
regarding  the  malicious  intention  of  the  pursuers.  For- 
tunately arrows  and  bullets  both  went  wide  of  the  mark 
and  the  whites  were  not  harmed. 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  305 

When  the  natives  saw  the  position  that  their  intended 
prey  had  taken,  they  halted  about  ten  rods  away,  and  the 
chief  stepped  forward  and  took  dehberate  aim  at  the 
stronghold.  As  he  fired,  both  of  the  inmates  ducked 
their  heads,  and  the  ball  went  a  little  low,  striking  the  rock 
which  protected  Mr.  Stillman,  and  then  it  ricochetted  and 
went  singing  over  their  heads. 

The  dusky  fiends  had  openly  declared  war,  and  the  chief 
was  the  first  to  suflfer  the  consequence  of  his  rash  act. 
The  second  after  the  chief  fired.  Captain  Ashton  leveled 
his  rifle  and  sent  a  ball  through  the  Maori's  villainous 
heart.  The  captain  kept  his  rifle  to  his  shoulder,  and  sent 
a  dozen  bullets  into  the  ranks  of  the  attacking  party.  He 
was  a  dead-shot,  as  the  natives  to  their  sorrow  soon 
learned. 

Mr.  Stillman  was  not  idle  by  any  means,  but  he  was  not 
so  good  a  shot  as  his  companion  so  he  laid  his  repeater 
with  magazine  fully  charged  in  reach  of  his  friend.  Then 
he  slipped  two  shells,  heavily  charged  with  No.  2  shot, 
into  his  shotgun. 

The  natives  seemed  to  realize  that  something  must  be 
done  immediately,  as  surely  half  their  number  had  then 
fallen.  They  gave  a  blood-curdling  yell  and  charged  the 
rocks,  dancing  about  in  a  grotesque  manner,  so  as  to 
make  themselves  more  difficult  to  hit;  but  they  counted 
without  their  host,  for  the  captain  still  dropped  them  one 
by  one.  To  complicate  matters,  Mr.  Stillman  fired  his 
two  charges  of  shot  into  the  midst  of  the  Maoris,  which 
action  caused  them  to  shriek  with  pain,  and  it  also  turned 
the  tide  of  the  battle.  The  natives  could  not  stand  the 
shot:  the  survivors  broke  and  fled  in  precipitate  terror, 
howling  and  screeching  in  pain  and  fright.  In  two  min- 
utes not  a  live  savage  was  visible. 

The  odds  against  the  white  men  had  been  great,  but 
inventive  genius  had  triumphed  over  brute  force  over- 
whelmingly, as  usual. 

"Well,"  said  the  captain,  "I  rather  think  those  remain- 


306  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

ing  savages  will  act  more  cautiously  in  attacking  white 
men  the  next  time.  It  is  very  evident  that  they  have  yet 
to  learn  the  merits  of  a  repeating  rifle." 

"Operated  by  a  dead-shot,"  added  Mr.  Stillman.  "I 
do  not  think  they  will  trouble  us  again." 

"No,  they  are  probably  running  now,  and  they  will  put 
many  miles  between  us  before  they  stop,"  replied  the 
captain. 

"Let  us  see  if  our  game  has  been  disturbed,"  said  Mr. 
Stillman,  leaving  the  improvised  breastwork  and  going 
to  the  spot  where  the  pig  had  fallen. 

He  had  not  been  disturbed,  and  they  were  preparing 
to  cut  off  the  most  desirable  parts  to  carry  to  camp,  when 
they  were  again  startled  by  a  shout  from  the  forest.  The 
hunters  tightly  grasped  their  rifles  and  whirled  to  again 
defend  themselves,  but  it  was  unnecessary.  Mr.  Young, 
Adolphe  and  three  sailors  were  emerging  from  the  tea 
trees.  They  had  heard  the  sounds  of  the  conflict,  and 
they  had  come  to  the  rescue,  but  they  were  too  late;  the 
victory  had  been  bravely  won. 

The  news  in  detail  was  soon  told,  and  the  dead  bodies 
of  the  Maoris  lying  around,  further  attested  to  the  nature 
and  to  the  victorious  termination  of  the  fight. 

"It  was  very  fortunate  that  you  did  not  fall  into  the 
hands  of  the  natives,  for  they  would  have  shown  you  no 
mercy  after  you  had  killed  some  of  their  tribe,"  said 
Adolphe. 

'"We  did  not  intend  to  be  taken  alive,"  returned  the 
captain. 

"This  encounter,"  said  Mr.  Stillman,  "will  teach  us  to 
be  more  careful  in  the  future,  when  we  are  traveling  in  a 
hostile  country." 

The  weapons  of  the  dead  natives  and  the  hog  were  car- 
ried back  to  camp.  When  bre  ikfast  was  over  the  com- 
pany once  more  formed  and  proceeded  toward  Titiokura, 
which  place  was  soon  passed. 

Excellent  progress  was  made  during  the  day,  and  when 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  307 

about  3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  a  hill  was  reached,  the 
blue  waters  of  the  Pacific  could  be  seen  not  over  three 
miles  away.  To  the  south  two  small  lakes  were  notice- 
able, for  they  resembled  argentine  settings  in  a  base  of 
malachite,  and  the  sinuosities  of  the  Tuki-tuki  River 
could  be  easily  traced  through  the  verdant  country. 

The  sojourn  in  New  Zealand  was  nearly  at  an  end. 
The  search  in  some  respects  had  been  more  successful 
than  had  been  at  first  anticipated.  Reihana  had  been 
found  without  much  trouble  and  inconvenience ;  no  ser- 
ious obstacle  had  arisen  to  retard  their  progress,  which 
had  been  exceedingly  rapid;  the  atrocities  with  which 
some  of  the  interior  tribes  had  been  imputed  were  not 
manifested  toward  the  searching  party,  with  two  excep- 
tions. The  Maoris,  had,  as  a  rule,  been  very  hospitable 
and  kind.  Certainly  the  paramount  object  of  the  expe- 
dition had  failed;  Frederick  Young  had  not  been  found, 
but  the  three  prisoners  had  been  found  and  liberated 
from  a  humiliating  servitude,  and  Mr.  Young  was  glad 
to  think  that  he  and  his  supporters  had  been  instrumental 
in  rescuing  the  Californians,  but  he  knew  that  general 
disappointment  would  prevail  on  the  yacht  when  the 
party  returned  without  Fred. 

An  hour  later  the  cavalcade  rounded  an  elevation,  and 
Napier  and  Ahuriri  Harbor  came  into  full  view.  The 
water  was  disturbed  by  a  fresh  breeze  which  caused  white- 
crested  waves  to  break  on  the  sandy  shore.  Numerous 
white,  gray  and  sooty-black  gulls  and  other  sea-fowl 
were  gracefully  circling  and  scaling  over  the  waves.  At 
about  ten  cables'  length  from  shore,  almost  in  the  spot 
the  party  had  left  her  seven  days  previous,  calmly  rested 
Mr.  Young's  pride — the  Altair — with  the  stars  and  stripes 
flying  in  graceful  folds  from  the  top  of  her  mizzen  mast. 

The  captain  carefully  scanned  the  yacht  through  his 
achromatic  binocular  telescope;  the  craft  was  a  mile  and 
a  half  away,  but  her  commander  recognized  all  on  deck. 
His  wife,  Mrs.  Young,  Mrs,  Stillman,  Marion,  Constance 


308  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

and  the  sailors,  appeared  to  all  be  there.  Some  were 
reading,  others  were  walking  up  and  down  the  planks. 
Marion  was  perusing  a  book,  and  Prince  was  stretched 
out  in  a  comfortable  position  on  a  rug  at  her  feet. 

As  the  captain  was  observing,  Prince  jumped  up,  sniffed 
the  air,  ran  to  the  bulwarks,  put  his  paws  on  the  rail  and 
gazed  toward  the  hill  which  the  expedition  had  just 
rounded.  Next  Prince  opened  his  mouth,  and  by  the 
motion  of  his  head  Captain  Ashton  knew  that  the  saga- 
cious animal  had  scented  his  master's  approach,  and  by  his 
barking  he  had  aroused  the  ship.  The  ladies  and  sailors 
quickly  came  to  the  side  of  the  yacht  and  looked  toward 
the  shore. 

"Mr.  Young,"  said  the  captain,  "here  is  additional 
proof  of  the  remarkable  instinct  of  your  wonderful  animal. 
We  are  over  a  mile  from  the  ship,  and  yet  that  dog  scented 
us  and  he  has  given  the  alarm." 

As  Captain  Ashton  spoke  a  puff  of  smoke  issued  from 
the  bow  of  the  Altair,  and  seven  seconds  later  the  detona- 
tion of  the  cannon  reverberated  among  the  hills.  This 
salute  of  welcome  was  cheerfully  responded  to  by  the 
members  of  the  expedition  by  firing  a  volley  into  the  air. 

The  launch  met  the  party  at  the  beach,  and  they  were 
soon  on  board  the  yacht,  where  they  were  met  with  open 
arms  and  kindly  words  of  welcome.  The  hope,  disap- 
pointment, joy,  sorrow  and  the  words  and  actions  cannot 
be  here  adequately  depicted  or  described,  but  it  is  per- 
haps needless  to  say  that  the  poignancy  of  the  sorrow 
created  by  not  finding  Fred  was,  in  a  measure,  mitigated 
by  the  safe  return  of  the  expedition,  and  joy  soon  reigned 
supreme. 

The  men  who  had  been  subjected  to  savage  tyranny 
for  over  a  year  were  made  extremely  happy  by  again  hav- 
ing the  privilege  of  coming  in  contact  with  modern  civili- 
zation. It  was  a  new  life  opening  up  to  them,  for  they 
had  lost  all  hope  of  ever  mingling  with  their  kind  again. 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  309 

Their  coercion  was  now  a  thing  of  the  past,  and  the 
future  looked  bright  and  promising. 

After  the  first  excitement  oiihe  reunion  was  over  many 
expressions  of  disappointment  were  heard.  In  fact,  there 
were  but  three  persons  on  the  yacht  that  now  thought  that 
Fred  still  hved,  and  those  three  were  Mr.  Young,  Marion 
and  Captain  Ashton.  Singularly  enough  these  three 
were  not  much  disappointed  at  the  termination  of  the 
search  in  New  Zealand;  they  seemed  to  think  from  the 
first  that  the  Hawke  Bay  episode  had  no  connection  with 
the  wreck  of  the  Polynesia,  and  Marion  said  as  much  when 
the  French  captain  first  told  his  story.  Mr.  Young  pur- 
sued the  clue  until  it  was  exploded  because  he  thought 
it  was  his  duty  to  do  so. 

The  sailors  had  for  some  time  been  uneasy;  they 
wanted  to  go  home.  The  enthusiasm,  which  had  once 
been  so  apparent  among  them,  was  no  longer  manifested. 
Mr.  Young  and  Captain  Ashton  were  much  pained  to 
note  this  element  of  discord  which  prevailed  on  board. 

Men  are,  as  a  rule,  wilHng  to  work  and  struggle  so  long 
as  their  object  for  exerting  energy  is  being  accomplished, 
but  when  the  labor  is  being  lost  or  unsuccessfully  applied, 
even  if  their  remuneration  continues,  they  become  dis- 
satisfied. This  law  seems  to  be  universal  among  men, 
and  its  presence  was  not  lacking  on  the  Altair.  The 
sailors  had  made  up  their  minds  that  Frederick  Young 
had  not  survived  the  wreck,  and  they  had  gotten  tired 
of  searching  for  him,  when  they  had  no  hopes  of  ever 
finding  him.  The  trip  into  the  interior  of  the  North 
Island  had  been  but  a  brief  cessation,  a  recess,  as  it  were, 
in  the  continuation  of  this  feeling.  After  lying  dormant 
for  a  week  it  broke  out  with  more  force  than  ever.  It 
was  the  almost  constant  topic  of  conversation  among  the 
crew;  they  talked  about  it  in  the  forecastle,  in  the  mess- 
room,  in  the  saloon,  and,  in  fact,  in  all  part?  of  the  yacht. 

Mr.  Young  was  not  yet  ready  to  abandon  the  search, 


310  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

so  the  state  of  affairs  troubled  him.  He  could  have  in- 
structed Captain  Ashton  to  dismiss  the  malcontents  and 
to  ship  a  new  crew  to  prosecute  the  search,  but  the  old 
gentleman  did  not  like  to  do  this.  The  sailors  had  been 
kind  and  faithful  thus  far,  and  Mr.  Young  did  not  blame 
them  now.  If  it  had  been  anybody's  son  but  his  own  that 
hung  in  the  balance,  he  might  have  felt  just  as  the  crew 
did  about  it. 

After  carefully  considering  the  matter,  Mr.  Young 
concluded  to  make  a  compromise  with  the  discontented 
element ;  so  he  called  them  all  together  the  next  morning 
and  laid  the  situation  before  them  in  its  entirety. 

"Friends,"  he  said,  "I  am  aware  what  an  amount  of 
discontent  has  lately  sprung  up  among  you,  and  what 
occasioned  it.  I  am  very  sorry  that  it  is  so.  Now,  from 
this  point  we  shall  sail  for  Auckland,  and  from  there  to  the 
Marquesas  islands,  where  the  search  will  be  continued. 
If  nothing  is  learned  at  that  group,  the  Altair  will  sail  for 
New  York  unless  important  evidence  is  secured,  which 
will  warrant  a  continuation  of  the  search.  By  this  you 
will  not  infer  that  I  have  lost  all  hope  of  ever  finding  my 
son,  but  owing  to  the  discontent  which  prevails  among 
you  I  make  a  compromise  by  omitting  several  groups  of 
islands  which  I  had  intended  to  explore.  If  Fred  is  not 
found  on  this  trip,  I  may  fit  out  another  searching  party 
and  return  to  this  island  world  to  pick  up  the  thread  of 
investigation  which  circumstances  compel  me  to  drop  at 
the  Marquesas. 

"Now,  the  yacht  will  immediately  proceed  to  Auckland 
to  leave  the  three  men  we  rescued  from  the  Maoris,  so  the 
ex-prisoners  can  sail  for  their  Californian  homes.  Any 
one  who  wishes  may  leave  the  Altair  with  Mr.  Stanton 
and  his  companions,  and  return  to  New  York.  I  would 
prefer,  you  will  understand,  that  none  will  take  advantage 
of  this  opportunity;  I  would  much  rather  have  our  crew 
return  to  New  York  unbroken,  when  the  search  for  my 
boy  is  abandoned.     Now,  men,  think  the  matter  carefully 


FREDERICK    YOUNO.  311 

ovei*before  we  reach  Auckland,  and  if  you  must  go  home, 
do  so,  but  remember  I  shall  be  grieved  to  have  you  leave 
us." 

Thursday,  November  22,  1882,  at  10  o'clock  in  the 
forenoon,  the  anchor  was  raised  and  the  Altair  steamed 
out  of  Ahuriri  Harbor,  toward  Portland  Island,  destined 
for  Auckland.  An  hour  later  the  attractive  environments 
of  Napier  were  left  far  astern  and  the  dark  blue  hills  and 
mountains  became  hazy  and  indistinct. 

The  next  day  at  noon  the  yacht,  after  a  favorable  run, 
dropped  anchor  off  the  city  of  Auckland. 

Mr.  Young,  who  was  a  true  philanthropist,  went  ashore 
with  the  three  men  he  had  saved  from  slavery,  and  pur- 
chased such  wearing  apparel  as  he  thought  they  needed, 
and  gave  them  money  enough  to  reach  their  homes.  It 
was  then  Friday  and  the  next  ship  was  to  sail  for  San 
Francisco  the  following  Monday.  The  three  men  must 
wait,  so  Mr.  Young  sought  suitable  hotel  accommoda- 
tions for  them  and  paid  the  bill  in  advance.  He  also  fur- 
nished them  with  a  little  extra  money  for  incidental  pur- 
poses. They  were  so  overcome  by  Mr,  Young's  benevo- 
lence that  they  shed  tears  when  he  left  them,  and  they 
repeatedly  assured  him  that  his  kindness  would  be  re- 
warded. 

The  crew  had  thought  over  what  Mr.  Young  said  to 
them  at  Napier,  and  as  a  consequence  not  a  single  indi- 
vidual left  the  yacht.  They  wanted  to  go  home,  but  they 
were  unwilling  to  leave  their  comfortable  quarters  and 
kind  master.  And  then  they  thought  it  would  not  take 
long  to  search  the  Marquesas  islands,  when  their  next 
objective  point  would  be  New  York. 


313  FBEDEBICK   YOUNG, 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

THE  SEARCH   ABANDONED. 

Monday,  November  27th,  at  flood  tide  the  Altair 
steamed  out  of  the  harbor,  crossed  the  gulf,  passed  be- 
tween Great  Barrier  Island  and  Cape  Colville  and  entered 
the  South  Pacific,  bound  for  the  Marquesas  islands.  As 
this  cluster  of  islets  or  archipelago,  lies  about  3,200  miles 
to  the  northeast  of  New  Zealand,  a  sea  voyage  of  eight  or 
ten  days'  duration  was  on  the  programme. 

On  the  morning  of  the  second  day  the  Kermadec  group 
was  passed,  and  five  days  after  leaving  the  North  Island 
the  Hervey  islands  were  left  astern,  while  the  Societies 
were  sighted  to  the  east  on  the  following  day. 

On  the  morning  of  the  eighth  day  out  from  Auckland 
the  lookout  announced  land  directly  ahead,  and  it  was  a 
pleasant  surprise  to  all  when  Captain  Ashton  said  they 
were  approaching  the  northwestern  or  the  Washington 
group,  a  part  of  the  Marquesas. 

These  islands  are  of  volcanic  origin  and  the  peaks, 
which  at  the  maximum  attain  an  altitude  of  3,500  feet,  can 
be  seen  many  miles  out  at  sea.  It  was  these  mountains 
that  had  been  sighted.  These  islands  lie  about  500  miles 
south  of  the  equator,  so  the  vegetation  belongs  to  the 
tropical  flora. 

It  was  a  remarkably  hot  day,  and  the  fierce  tropical 
rays  of  the  solar  orb  made  the  sap  fairly  boil  from  the 
planks.  The  sailors,  to  obviate  this  difficulty,  flood'cd 
the  deck  with  water  at  short  intervals.  The  ladies  and 
gentlemen  were  assembled  on  deck,  sheltered  by  an  awn- 
ing aft  which  partially  protected  them  from  the  torrid  sun. 
They  watched  the  sea-birds  circling  around  the  ship ;  the 


FREDERICK    YOUNQ.  313 

big  fishes  which  occasionally  came  to  lazily  disport  on  the 
surface  of  the  sea,  and  the  verdant  shores  and  rugged 
heights  of  the  Marquesas,  which  grew  more  and  more 
distinct  each  moment. 

"Captain,"  said  Mr.  Young,  "you  had  better  make  di* 
rectly  for  Noukahiva  or  Marchand  Island,  for  it  is  the 
largest  in  the  group  we  are  now  approaching." 

"Very  well,  sir;  it  will  not  be  necessary  for  us  to  change 
our  course  much,  if  any,  to  touch  at  that  island,"  the  cap- 
tain replied  as  he  went  forward  to  consult  the  pilot  in 
charge. 

"Father,"  said  Marion,  as  she  reclined  in  an  easy  canvas 
chair,  "please  tell  me  about  these  islands  we  are  about  to 
visit.  I  intended  to  read  up  on  them,  but  I  have  been  so 
busy  during  the  voyage  that  I  have  neglected  to  do  so." 

"Well,  pet,"  said  Mr.  Stillman,  "according  to  good 
authority  the  Marquesas  or  Mendafia  Archipelago  com- 
prises twelve  islets  lying  from  four  to  seven  hundred 
miles  south  of  the  equator,  and  having  a  total  area  of  489 
square  miles.  They  were  discovered  July  21,  1595,  by 
Alvaro  Mendafia.  He  only  knew  of  the  southeast  group, 
to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  Marquesas  de  Mendoza,  in 
honor  of  the  viceroy  of  Peru.  The  northern  group  was 
discovered  by  an  American,  Ingraham  by  name,  in  1791. 
The  southwest,  or  original  Marquesas  cluster,  consists  of 
Fatouhiva,  Motane,  Tahouata  and  Hivaoa  islands.  The 
latter  has  a  coast  line  of  over  sixty  miles.  The  northern 
group  consists  of  seven  islands,  the  largest  of  which  are 
Roa-Poua,  Houahcmna,  Noukahiva  and  Hiaoa.  It  will 
be  useless  to  go  into  further  details,  Marion,  as  we  shall 
soon  see  these  interesting  islets  ourselves." 

These  islands,  as  the  Altair  approached  them,  truly 
resembled  brilliant  emeralds  on  an  azure  field.  As  the 
island  called  Noukahiva  became  clearly  outlined  against 
the  sky  and  sea,  its  grandeur  deeply  impressed  the  voy- 
agers. The  bold,  rugged,  central  mountain  ridge  loomed 
up  to  an  altitude  which,  no  doubt,  appeared  greater  than  it 


314  FREDERICK    YOUNO. 

really  was,  as  the  abruptness  with  which  these  islands  rise 
from  the  sea  makes  an  estimate  of  their  height  very  diffi- 
cult. The  timber  trees  and  ferns  were  absent  here,  and 
they  were  replaced  by  palms  and  tropical  vegetation  which 
grow  to  perfection  in  the  humid  atmosphere  of  the  Mar- 
quesas. The  calorific  rays  of  the  equatorial  sun  produce 
a  fervid  torridity,  which  would  be  unbearable  if  it  were 
not  for  the  easterly  trade  winds,  which  sweep  across  these 
islands  for  nine  months  of  the  year. 

Before  the  yacht  came  to  a  standstill  several  canoes 
loaded  with  natives  put  out  from  the  shore  to  trade,  the 
occupants  also  wanted  to  gratify  their  curiosity,  and  pos- 
sibly they  entertained  the  idea  that  an  opportunity  to  steal 
something  would  present  itself,  for  the  Marquesans  are 
said  to  be  subject  to  this  propensity. 

The  men  much  resembled  the  Tahitians,  and  they  were 
muscular  and  exceedingly  well  developed.  The  great 
blue-black  patches  of  tattooing  en  their  faces,  arms  and 
bodies,  sadly  disfigured  their  appearance,  and  some  of 
them  really  looked  hideous. 

The  women,  of  whom  there  were  several  in  the  canoes, 
had  their  lips  and  ear-lobes  tattooed,  which  did  not  im- 
prove their  otherwise  quite  good-looking  countenances. 
In  form  they  were  graceful,  and  their  skin  was  rather 
light-colored,  while  their  eyes  were  large,  dark,  lustrous 
and  expressive.  If  they  would  only  restrain  themselves 
from  distorting  the  natural  beauty  which  is  theirs,  they 
would  be  quite  attractive.  However,  we  ought  not  to 
think  it  strange  that  these  simple  children  of  the  Pacific 
know  no  better,  when  customs  as  ridiculous  and  as  puerile 
are  in  vogue  among  our  so-called  civilized  races. 

A  goodly  supply  of  cocoanuts,  yams,  bananas,  plan- 
tains and  bread-fruit  was  obtained  from  the  natives,  and 
also  a  large  green  turtle,  which  would  add  materially  to 
the  bill  of  fare.  In  return  for  these  commodities  it  was 
necessary  to  give  the  natives  fire-arms,  gunpowder,  cloth 
and  tobacco.     They  wanted  liquor,  but  Mr.  Young  posi- 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  315 

tively  forbade  anybody  on  the  yacht  giving  them  intoxi- 
cants. 

The  following  morning  the  gentlemen  went  ashore  to 
make  the  customary  search.  They  were  surprised  at  the 
fertility  of  the  soil,  and  they  thought  what  might  be  ac- 
complished by  these  islanders  if  they  but  had  the  thrift 
and  enterprise  necessary  to  develop  the  great  natural 
resources  which  nature  has  lavishly  bestowed  upon  them. 
Indolence,  the  great  barrier  to  progression,  however, 
reigns  supreme  in  the  Marquesas. 

All  kinds  of  vegetation,  natural  to  these  islands,  grow 
prolifically,  but  rather  than  to  cultivate  a  variety  of  fruits 
and  vegetables,  the  lazy  inhabitants  live  almost  wholly 
on  bread-fruit,  bananas  and  fish. 

Eighty  years  ago  some  20,000  people  thrived  on  the 
Marquesas,  but  civil  wars,  infectious  diseases  and  other 
minor  causes  have  greatly  reduced  their  numbers,  so  that 
only  five  or  six  thousand  are  now  left.  These  are  now 
under  a  French  protectorate,  which  has  existed  since  1842. 
A  small  garrison  is  maintained  at  Noukahiva. 

It  was  no  small  undertaking  to  properly  explore  this 
island,  for  it  is  seventeen  miles  from  east  to  west  and 
about  seventy  miles  in  circumference.  Mr.  Young  and 
his  co-workers,  however,  had  by  experience  become 
adepts  in  this  line  of  business,  and  the  search  was  begun 
in  the  usual  systematic  manner. 

After  making  inquiries  enough  to  become  satisfied 
that  nothing  could  be  learned  in  that  way,  Mr.  Young 
marshalled  his  small  force  and  commenced  the  march 
alone  shore,  traveling  to  the  southeast.  It  was  his  inten- 
tion to  follow  the  coast  until  he  had  been  completely 
around  the  island.  Marchine  on  Noukahiva  was  much 
more  irksome  than  in  New  Zealand,  on  account  of  the 
fierce  tropical  heat  and  the  absence  along  shore  of  the 
umbrageous  trees.  If  it  had  not  been  for  the  refreshing 
trades  it  would  have  been  an  exceedingly  disagreeable 
undertaking. 


316  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

In  spite  of  the  extreme  torridity  the  searching  party 
enjoyed  the  trip  along  the  margin  of  the  verdant  shore, 
where  the  dark  blue  billows  unceasingly  roared  and  beat 
themselves  to  a  white  foam  at  the  feet  of  the  travelers. 
Both  delicately  and  richly  colored  shells  and  crustaceans 
had  their  hues  repeatedly  intensified  by  the  saline  water 
which  momentarily  washed  over  their  surfaces.  Beau- 
tiful clusters  and  fragments  of  red  or  pink  coral,  together 
with  numerous  other  strange  forms  of  marine  life,  were 
lying  along  the  strand  in  promiscuous  profusion.  These 
laymen  were  astonished  at  the  beauty  and  the  variety  of 
nature's  handiwork  as  here  displayed;  a  professional  con- 
chologist  would  have  been  too  enthusiastic  to  contain 
himself,  for  these  oceanic  productions  were  wonderfully 
rich  specifically. 

Only  about  twenty  species  of  birds  inhabit  the  Mar- 
quesas and  the  majority  of  that  number  belongs  to  the 
marine  fauna.  The  abundance  of  a  few  species,  however, 
makes  up  for  the  deficiency  in  variety;  for  at  certain 
points  the  beach  and  the  adjacent  water  looked,  at  a  dis- 
tance, as  if  patches  of  snow  covered  their  surfaces;  but 
on  near  approach  great  numbers  of  sea-birds  would  arise, 
circle  around  and  settle  near  the  spot  from  which  they 
were  flushed. 

Captain  Ashton  secured  several  fine  specimens,'  seme 
of  which  were  quite  palatable  when  cooked,  but  the 
majority  of  the  sea-fowl  was  unfit  for  food;  their  flesh 
was  strong  and  unsavory. 

Hogs  and  fowls  are  very  prolific  on  the  Marquesas, 
and  the  former  were  met  with  in  a  half-wild  state.  Dur- 
ing the  afternoon  of  the  first  day  on  Noukahiva,  one  of 
these  animals  was  noticed  on  a  sandy  part  of  the  beach 
industriously  rooting  and  digging.  When  he  saw  the 
party  approaching  he  grunted  several  times  and  then 
made  tracks  for  the  forest.  Perhaps  he  mistook  the 
Americans  for  a  pork-hunting  party.  Upon  investiga- 
tion it  was  found  that  sea  turtles  had  come  to  the  point 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  317 

the  pig  had  just  vacated  and  deposited  their  eggs  in  the 
sand,  and  the  hog  had  smelt  them  out,  and  if  he  had  not 
been  interrupted  he  would  have  had  his  fill  of  these  nutri- 
tious eggs. 

These  great  turtles,  which  are  much  esteemed  for  their 
meat  and  eggs  also,  come  ashore  in  numbers  during  the 
night,  and  each  female  deposits  from  lOO  to  250  large, 
spherical,  white,  translucent  eggs  in  the  sand.  The  am- 
phibians dig  in  a  hole  or  a  trench  to  receive  their  eggs, 
and  when  the  turtles  go  back  to  sea,  which  happens  before 
daylight,  they  carefully  cover  the  eggs  with  sand  and 
hide  all  traces  of  the  nocturnal  pilgrimage  ashore  so 
adroitly  that  it  is  exceedingly  difficult  for  one  to  discover 
the  spot.  The  natives  know  at  ■  hat  season  of  the  year 
to  expect  the  turtles  and  what  locality  they  are  most  lia- 
ble to  choose  for  an  incubating  ground,  and  the  wily 
blacks  watch  for  the  representatives  of  the  order  Chelonia 
and  carefully  mark  the  spot  where  the  eggs  are  laid,  and 
the  following  morning  a  raid  is  made  and  they  are  col- 
lected in  large  numbers,  and  they  form  an  excellent  article 
of  food. 

"We  are  fortunate,"  said  Mr.  Young.     "The  hog  dis- 
covered the  eggs,  and  we  will  reap  the  harvest." 
^  "That  is  the  way  of  the  world,"  said  Mr.  Stillman. 
"One  seeks  and  finds,  another  appropriates  and  enjoys." 

They  began  digging  in  the  sand  after  the  eggs,  and  in 
twenty  minutes  200  were  excavated,  when  Mr.  Young 
signified  that  they  had  better  desist,  as  a  sufficient  quan- 
tity had  been  exhumed  for  the  immediate  needs  of  the 
expedition.  The  eggs  were  so  fresh  that  Captain  Ashton 
concluded  that  they  had  been  laid  the  nig-ht  before,  and 
that  the  tropical  sun  had  not  incubated  the  eggs  in  the 
slig-htest  degree. 

That  evenine  camo  was  made  in  a  grove  of  cocoantit 
palms  near  the  beach.  The  turtle's  eg-q-s.  top^ether  with 
bananas,  nlaptaitis  rxv<^  br^arf-'friiit.  nil  of  which  were 
baked  in  hot  ashes,  formed  an  agreeable  repast.     It  was 


318  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

washed  down  by  cocoanut  milk  which  could  be  obtained 
in  large  quantities  from  the  unripe  nuts. 

Fresh  water  streams  course  down  the  rocky  valleys 
from  the  central  mountainous  country  and  form  beautiful 
cascades  inclosed  in  verdant  surroundings.  Irregular 
masses  of  basalt  and  lava  were  constantly  encountered  in 
these  valleys,  and  they  added  materially  to  the  difficulty 
of  traveling.  Bamboo  thickets  grew  around  the  rivulets, 
and  finely  flavored  cray  fishes  were  caught  in  the  pools. 

Mammals,  reptiles  and  insects  were  conspicuous  by 
their  absence  here,  as  in  the  other  Polynesian  groups. 
This  scarcity  of  animal  food  has  by  many,  been  adduced 
as  the  cause  of  cannibali-sm  which  has  existed  in  many  of 
the  islands,  but  is  now  fast  dying  out.  It  was  thought 
that  the  absence  of  animal  food,  and  the  desire  for  it, 
caused  the  barbarous  tribes  to  eat  each  other,  and  truly 
this  hypothesis  seems  very  plausible  and  it  is  very  likely 
the  true  one. 

Since  white  men  have  visited  and  settled  on  the  islands, 
many  domestic  animals  have  been  introduced,  and  the 
efforts  of  missionaries  have,  to  a  great  extent,  abolished 
many  of  the  superstitious  and  inhuman  customs  formerly 
in  vogue. 

Four  days  were  consumed  in  searching  Noukahiva 
Island,  and  still  nothing  was  learned  of  Fred  Young. 
As  a  consequence,  doubt  of  Fred's  existence  on  earth 
constantly  increased  among  the  members  of  the  expedi- 
tion. Many  were  impatiently  waiting  for  the  announce- 
ment that  the  search  was  at  an  end,  and  that  the  Altair 
was  next  to  steam  for  Cape  Horn,  on  her  way  to  New 
York. 

Marion  even  appeared  less  hopeful  than  formerly;  her 
eyes  had  a  solemn,  far-away  look,  and  her  face  was  paler 
and  thinner  than  it  once  was.  Her  beauty,  however,  was 
increased  by  these  changes,  and  nothing  on  deck  formed 
a  prettier  picture  than  she  and  Constance  walking  up  and 
down  the  planks,  each  encircled  by  the  other's  arm,  and 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  310 

good  old  Prince  majestically  walking  beside  them.  The 
girls  thought  worlds  of  each  other,  and  it  was  pleasant 
for  them  to  enjoy  this  mutual  affection.  Many  were  the 
long  talks  they  had,  when  alone,  of  the  lost  brother  and 
lover,  of  whom  they  thought  so  much.  Now  matters 
were  changed;  the  search  was  nearly  finished,  and  they 
must  soon  abandon  the  idea  of  ever  seeing  the  handsome 
and  genial  face  of  their  loved  one  again. 

Marion,  by  other's  ridicule,  had  almost  lost  faith  in 
Prince.  The  superior  instinct  with  which  he  was  en- 
dowed, she  at  one  time  thought  might  be  instrumental 
in  restoring  her  lover,  but  now  so  many  years  had  elapsed 
since  the  intelligent  animal  had  seen  his  young  master 
that  it  did  not  seem  possible  that  Prince  could  do  much 
toward  discovering  Fred  if  he  were  still  living,  which  now 
seemed  improbable. 

These  instincts  had  by  no  means  waned  in  the  faithful 
animal,  and  it  was  beyond  human  power  to  measure  their 
scope  or  to  fathom  their  depth.  They  were  lying  dor- 
mant, awaiting  an  opportunity  which  might  never  come. 

Marion  did  not  think  this,  but  she  thought  that  they 
would  never  come  near  enough  to  Fred  for  Prince  to 
exercise  his  gift  to  advantage.  At  times  she  would  get 
to  thinking  deeply,  and  Mr.  Young  would  come  up  to  her, 
gently  place  his  hand  on  her  glossy  hair,  and  say:  "Of 
what  is  my  gentle  friend  thinking?" 

She  would  look  up  into  the  old  gentleman's  kindly, 
careworn  face,  and  reply:  "You  and  I,  Mr.  Young,  think 
on  the  same  subject." 

"Yes.  Marion,  and  soon  the  search  will  be  over  and  we 
will  return  home,  but  it  will  be  a  sad  home-going,  for  I 
now  besrin  to  think  that  Fred  will  not  accompany  us." 

As  Mr,  Youne  spoke  he  turned  his  head  toward  a  dis^ 
tant  ship  on  the  blue  sea  horizon,  to  hide  the  tears  which 
invotunfprilv  stole  down  his  cheeks. 

And  Marion's  voice  was  tremulous  when  she  said: 

"T,  too,  begin  to  think  that  our  eflForts  will  not  be 


320  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

rewarded  here ;  but,  Mr.  Young,  we  will  meet  him  in  the 
hereafter,  and  the  balance  of  this  life  will  be  spent  know- 
ing that  our  duty  has  been  done  to  the  best  of  our  ability." 

"True,  Marion,  and  we  will  be  comforted  thereby." 

While  the  Altair  was  lying  at  anchor  at  Noukahiva, 
many  native  men  and  women  came  aboard  to  trade,  and 
they  showed  great  curiosity  regarding  the  ship  and  her 
belongings.  One  man,  who  seemed  more  intelligent  than 
the  Marquesans  in  general,  the  captain  took  into  the 
engine-room,  the  pilot  house,  and  through  the  richly  fur- 
nished saloons  and  sleeping  apartments.  The  native  was 
fairly  wonder-struck,  and  he  made  the  fact  known  by 
exclamations  of  delight  and  surprise  when  he  saw  any- 
thing particularly  attractive  or  unusual  to  his  eyes.  He 
liked  to  feel  of  the  polished  black-walnut  and  bird's-eye 
maple  finish  in  the  cabins,  and  of  the  glittering  brass  and 
silver  work, much  to  the  annoyance  of  the  stewards, who 
had  to  keep  it  brightly  burnished.  This  diversion  af- 
forded great  amusement  to  all  on  board,  and  Kaureka, 
which  was  the  native's  name,  laughed  when  the  others 
did,  so  all  were  apparently  pleased. 

Constance,  by  the  captain's  suggestion,  invited  the 
native  into  the  ladies'  parlor,  where  he  was  seated  in  a 
blue  silk  and  plush  lounging  chair,  which  was  the  recip- 
ient of  much  admiration  from  Kaureka.  He  intimated 
that  the  seat  was  too  good  for  him,  but  Captain  Ashton 
told  him  to  sit  there  as  they  had  plenty  more  good  seats. 

When  Constance  struck  up  a  lively  march  on  the  piano, 
the  native,  who  seemed  to  be  fond  of  music,  could  hardly 
contain  himself.  There  was  such  a  contrast  between  the 
soft,  melodious  tones  of  this  instrument  and  those  of 
native  manufacture,  that  he  became  entranced  by  the  for- 
mer. And,  then,  the  lively  airs  were  so  much  different 
from  anything  that  he  had  ever  heard  that  they  worked 
him  up  to  such  a  pitch  of  excitement  that  he  jumped  up, 
apparently  unconscious  of  those  who  were  regarding 
him,  and  kept  time  in  an  uncouth  but  amusing  dance. 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  321 

When  the  music  finally  ended  he  stopped  dancing  and 
then  he  seemed  abashed  at  his  own  boldness,  which  he  had 
but  just  realized. 

Kaureka  was  assured  by  his  entertainers  that  no  harm 
was  done,  and  he  again  became  seated.  Constance 
played  several  more  selections  for  his  benefit,  and  he  kept 
quite  good  time  by  moving  his  head,  arms  and  feet  simul- 
taneously. 

The  native  by  special  invitation  remained  to  dinner,  and 
his  curiosity  and  surprise  at  the  way  a  meal  was  served 
in  a  civilized  manner  created  much  tacit  amusement 
around  the  spread.  The  cut  glass  and  silver  received 
more  of  his  attention,'however,than  the  daintily  prepared 
viands,  much  to  the  chagrin  of  the  cook,  who  prided  him- 
self on  his  culinary  skill. 

When  this  untutored  son  of  the  Pacific  was  put  on 
shore  from  the  launch,  he  had  many  things  to  remember 
and  much  to  tell  his  friends,  who  immediately  flocked 
around  him. 

Another  day  Marion  and  Constance  enticed  two  shy, 
but  graceful  and  pretty  native  girls,  aboard.  At  first  the 
native  young  ladies  were  reserved  and  taciturn,  but  after 
awhile  they  became  more  communicative,  and  before 
they  left  the  yacht  much  had  been  learned  from  them  re- 
garding the  habits  and  customs  of  their  people.  The 
white  girls  made  their  dusky  callers  a  number  of  pres- 
ents, which  delighted  them  very  much.  Much  wonder 
was  manifested  by  the  natives,  while  their  entertainers 
were  pleased  at  the  novelty  of  the  situation  and  the  pleas- 
ure they  were  the  means  of  creating  for  their  visitors. 

The  feats  of  these  dusky  maidens  were  sometimes  won- 
derful. At  one  place,  when  the  yacht  was  a  good  half- 
mile  from  the  beach,  one  of  the  native  girls  swam  out  to 
the  ship  with  a  large  bunch  of  bananas  on  her  back  which 
she  wanted  to  sell  or  exchange  for  print  or  beads. 

Mr.  Stillman  related  a  tradition  which  is  current  in  the 
South  Pacific  regarding  the  creation  of  the  world.    The 


322  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

Polynesians,  like  nearly  all  other  classes  of  men,  have  it 
that  in  the  beginning  the  earth  was  void  and  empty  and 
darkness  was  on  the  face  of  the  deep.  Jupiter's  daughter, 
a  mythological  character  in  the  form  of  a  snipe,  was  sent 
by  her  father  from  heaven  to  find  dry  land,  and  after  many 
failures  she  found  a  single  rock  which  was  barren  and 
cold.  She  came  again  with  a  creeping  plant  and  a  little 
earth  in  which  it  was  to  grow,  and  thus  the  verdant  islands 
of  Polynesia,  according  to  the  native  idea,  came  into  ex- 
istence. They  do  not  go  on  to  explain  how  all  of  the  dif- 
ferent vegetable  and  animal  forms  were  created,  but  one 
would  infer  from  the  foregoing  narrative  that  later  and 
higher  forms  came  into  existence  by  the  process  of  evolu- 
tion. That  is,  that  they  all  developed  from  the  single 
creeping  plant  which  was  brought  from  heaven  by  the 
daughter  of  Jupiter,  in  the  form  of  a  snipe. 

"Probably,"  said  Captain  Ashton,  "this  puerile  concep- 
tion of  the  beginning  was  introduced  by  some  of  the  an- 
cient progenitors  who  passed  themselves  oflf  as  sages  of 
renown,  and  this  story  was  conceived  by  one  of  them  and 
diffused  among  their  ductile  followers  as  a  great  truth." 

Saturday,  December  30th,  the  search  for  Frederick 
Young  was  formally  declared  at  an  end,  unless  something 
of  importance  came  up  which  would  warrant  further  ac- 
tion in  that  direction,  and  that  was  very  improbable.  The 
luxuriantly  clothed  valleys  and  hills,  and  the  verdant 
shores  of  both  groups  of  the  Marquesas  Islands  had  been 
explored  and  success  was  not  the  reward  for  those  who 
had  been  so  diligent  and  faithful  in  the  work. 

Monday  morning  the  Altair  was  to  sail  for  Valparaiso, 
and  from  there  to  New  York  via  the  Strait  of  Magellan  or 
Cape  Horn.  This  announcement  created  the  wildest  ex- 
citement on  board;  the  sailors  were  jubilant  that  home 
was  to  be  their  next  objective  point,  and  they  were  unable 
to  restrain  themselves. 

Mr.  Young  felt  thankful  that  his  little  band  had  not 
been  broken  into  by  accident,  infectious  maladies  or  dis- 


FREDERICK    YOUNQ.  323 

cord,  and  that  he  was  now  able  to  give  his  men  pleasure 
by  sailing  for  their  native  state.  He  and  others  that  were 
closely  bound  to  Fred  by  family  and  friendship  ties  felt 
sad  and  despondent  when  the  moment  came  to  abandon 
the  hope  which  had  once  thrilled  through  their  souls  with 
joy  and  expectancy.  However,  they  thought,  it  might 
be  all  for  the  best  that  it  should  be  thus. 

Perhaps  the  sad  termination  of  the  search  affected 
Marion  more  than  any  one  else,  at  least,  the  poor  girl 
when  in  her  state-room  with  her  bosom  friend  and  con- 
stant companion,  Constance,  laid  her  head  on  her  confi- 
dant's breast  and  wept  bitterly.  And  even  Constance, 
who  had  a  less  demonstrative  nature,  gave  way  to  silent 
tears  for  the  dear  brother  who  had  always  been  so  kind, 
loving  and  gentle  to  her.  The  afflicted  girls  wept  in 
mutual  sorrow.  Previous  to  this  turning  point  a  spark 
of  hope  had  remained,  but  now  that  was  ruthlessly  ex- 
tinguished. 

Sunday  was  spent  in  rest  and  religious  thought  and 
action.  The  Altair  lay  at  anchor  ofit  the  attractive  island 
called  Motane  or  San  Pedro.  The  plans  for  future  pro- 
cedure had  been  thoroughly  discussed  the  day  before. 

Mr,  Young  wanted  to  reach  New  York  as  quickly  as 
possible,  now  that  the  object  of  the  voyage  was  no  longer 
an  issue. 

Captain  Ashton  said  that  it  would  be  absolutely  ne- 
cessary that  they  put  in  at  Valparaiso  to  replenish  their 
supply  of  coal,  as  they  had  not  enough  on  hand  to  carry 
them  to  Cape  Horn. 

"How  far  is  it  to  Valparaiso,  and  how  long  will  it  take 
us  to  traverse  the  intervening  sea?"    asked  Mr.  Young. 

"It  is  about  3,800  miles,  and  if  the  Altair  can  average 
her  eighteen  miles  per  hour,  we  will  reach  that  port  in 
nine  or  ten  days,"  the  captain  returned. 

Monday,  January  i,  1883,  at  dawn,  a  lively  scene  was 
visible  on  deck.  The  steam  was  escaping  from  the  safety 
valves  and  preparations  for  departure  were  being  made. 


324  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

It  was  clear,  warm  and  calm.  A  hot  tropical  day  was 
predicted.  The  sea-birds  swarmed  around  the  ship  and 
tried  to  out  do  eadh  other  in  vociferousness.  Just  as  the 
sun  peeped  above  the  horizon  and  made  the  water  scin- 
tillate in  its  rays  for  miles  around,  the  Altair  put  out  to 
sea. 

The  yacht  made  a  pretty  picture.  Her  long,  narrow, 
black  hull  divided  the  water  easily  and  gracefully;  a 
track  of  white  foam  was  left  astern  which  could  be  traced 
for  miles  on  the  calm  surface  of  the  sea;  a  column  of 
black  smoke  arose  from  her  stack  and  flowed  astern, 
growing  thinner  and  thinner  until  it  apparently  gradu- 
ated into  invisibility;  the  sails  were  neatly  furled  and  the 
deck  was  thronged  with  members  of  the  expedition. 

"Farewell,  Polynesia!"  said  Captain  Ashton  as  he 
stood  aft  watching  the  land  fade  away  in  the  far  west. 

"Yes,  Captain,"  said  Mr.  Young,  "we  may  never  see 
those  islets  of  eternal  summer  again,  nor  the  blue  waters 
in  which  poor  Fred  met  his  fate." 

"What,  Mr.  Young,  have  you  abandoned  all  hope?" 
inquired  Mr.  Stillman  in  a  constrained  voice. 

"Yes,  I  now  think  that  my  boy  found  a  watery  grave 
at  the  timie  the  Polynesm  was  lost,  nearly  two  years  ago." 

"If  it  were  so,  let  us  trust,  Mr.  Young,  that  we  will  meet 
him  in  the  great  beyond  where  pain  and  sorrow  are 
unknown." 

"We  will  meet  him  there,  for  he  was  as  honest  and 
good  as  the  day  is  long,"  said  the  kind  father,  and  then 
he  turned  and  gazed  long  and  wistfully  astern. 

The  weather  was  so  fine  that  the  ladies  and  gentlemen 
spent  the  greater  part  of  their  time  on  deck.  The  fact 
was,  it  was  too  close  and  hot  below  to  be  agreeable.  The 
rays  of  the  tropical  suh  beat  on  the  deck  intensely  hot, 
and  the  interior  of  the  ship,  as  a  consequence,  became  very 
oppressive.  The  forward  motion  of  the  yacht  caused  a 
pleasant,  perpetual  breeze  on  deck  which  was  extremely 


FREDERICK    YOU  NO.  325 

refreshing.  The  passengers  walked,  played  games,  talked, 
read  and  did  all  manner  of  things  to  pass  the  time  away. 

Prince  kept  his  friends  company  on  deck,  and  although 
he  had  not  moaned  any  for  some  time  he  had  shown  un- 
mistakable signs  of  uneasiness.  He  would  often  ascend 
the  steps  to  the  bridge  and  gaze  long  and  earnestly  across 
the  blue  water,  and  what  was  a  remarkable  fact,  two-thirds 
of  the  time  his  great  intelligent  eyes  looked  to  the  south- 
west. Several  people  on  board  remarked  this  action,  but 
it  passed  without  comment  although  considerable  think- 
ing was  caused  thereby.  Now  the  yacht  was  heading 
for  home,  but  Prince  apparently  took  no  interest  in  her 
movements,  so  the  theory  which  had  been  brought  for- 
ward to  explain  away  his  mysterious  demonstrations  at 
Pitcaim's  Island,  was  tacitly  contradicted. 

When  Prince  was  on  the  bridge,  Marion  would  sit  with 
a  book  in  her  lap  apparently  reading,  but  a  close  observer 
would  have  noticed  that  her  eyes  were  constantly  di- 
verted from  her  volume  by  the  dog,  which  she  kept  under 
strict  surveillance,  and  the  puzzled  expression  on  her 
face  was  evidently  not  occasioned  by  her  reading,  as 
Prince  got  the  majority  of  her  attention. 

The  days  passed  off  one  after  another.  The  Altair 
sped  onward.  It  would  not  be  long  before  the  Andes 
would  loom  up  ahead.  Sailing  craft  and  steamships  were 
often  seen,  but  the  speedy  yacht  soon  left  them  astern. 
Even  the  flying-fishes  which  were  constantly  jumping  out 
of  the  water  and  scaling  ahead,  could  not  hold  their  lead 
as  several  fell  on  deck  and  they  found  their  way,  by  the 
captain's  assistance,  into  the  museum,  where  they  were 
preserved  in  a  proper  manner. 

One  day,  just  after  a  peculiar  specimen  had  been  cap- 
tured, Constance  said:  "Captain,  will  you  please  tell  us 
about  these  bird-like  fishes?" 

"Yes,  do,  Captain,"  chimed  several  voices. 

"Well,  friends,  I  will  tell  you  what  I  know  about 
them,  and  that,  I  fear,  is  not  much.     You  must  remember 


326  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

that  it  is  a  very  difficult  matter  to  study  the  habits  of  deep 
water  fishes,  and,  consequently,  not  a  great  deal  is  known 
about  them.  However,  it  is  known  that  there  are  two 
kinds  of  flying-fishes.  One  is  sometimes  called  the  fly- 
ing herring,  although  it  is  more  closely  allied  to  the  gar- 
pike.  Its  general  appearance  is  a  great  deal  like  a  her- 
ring, but  the  abnormally  large  fins  render  the  likeness 
less  real.  These  fins  are  the  only  wings  the  fish  can 
boast  of,  and  these  he  is  unable  to  flap,  but  they  are 
admirably  adapted  to  scaling.  The  flying  gurnards,  so- 
called,  have  larger  and  differently  shaped  fins.  The  head 
is  more  blunt,  and  it  is  covered  with  spines,  while  each 
scale  has  a  bony  keel.  The  pectoral  fins  in  both  species 
are  greatly  prolonged  to  perform  the  function  of  leav- 
ing their  natural  element. 

"Some  claim  that  these  fishes  only  leave  the  water  in 
rough  weather  or  when  pursued  by  an  enemy,  but  I  think 
they  do.  These  that  have  just  fallen  on  the  Altair's  deck 
were  evidently  trying  to  get  out  of  her  way,  but  she 
proved  too  fast  for  them.  As  a  rule,  the  flight  of  these 
fishes  is  rapid,  and  it  gradually  decreases  as  they  lose  their 
forward  motion  by  friction  with  tne  air,  but  despite  this 
fact  they  often  scale  for  500  feet  with  quietly  distended 
wings.  They  cannot  turn  in  the  air  unless  in  rough 
weather  they  touch  their  caudal  fin  on  the  wave  tops,  and 
by  this  means  slightly  change  their  course.  Also  in 
rough  weather  they  have  a  slight,  undulating  motion  as 
they  rise  over  each  wave  crest,  rising  by  the  pressure  of 
the  rushing  air.  In  calm  weather  the  flight  of  these 
fishes  is  without  deflection,  just  as  if  they  had  been  shot 
from  a  gun.  On  the  whole  they  are  a  pecuHar  and  inter- 
esting fish  and  volumes  have  been  written  about  them." 

"Then,  captain,  when  we  see  a  flying-fish  emerge  from 
the  sea  some  distance  from  the  yacht,  we  may  assume 
that  there  is  a  foe  beneath  the  waves?"  said  Constance, 
interrogatively. 

"Yes,  usually,  and  some  of  those  foes  are  so  avaricious 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  327 

that  they  follow  the  flight  of  their  aerial  congeners,  and 
the  instant  the  wings  or  fins  of  the  flying-fish  become  dry 
and  the  fish  drops  into  the  sea  the  pursuing  fish  seizes 
and  devours  his  prey." 

"Poor,  little  fishes,  they,  as  well  as  nearly  all  other 
beings  on  this  earth,  have  their  enemies,"  said  Constance. 

Good  weather  prevailed  and  the  Altair  kept  up  her 
average  speed  day  after  day  with  ease. 

On  the  eighth  day  of  the  voyage  one  of  the  crew  made  a 
capture.  For  six  consecutive  days  a  large  bird  of  a  dusky- 
white  color,  with  darker  wings  and  back,  had  followed  the 
ship.  It  was  the  largest  and  strongest  of  the  sea-birds 
and  among  the  sailors  it  was  said  to  be  a  "gony,"  but 
Captain  Ashton  said  it  was  the  wandering  albatross  or 
Dioniedea  exiilans  of  scientists.  This  bird  had  not  only 
kept  up  with  the  fleet  yacht  all  of  this  time,  but  it  had  cir- 
cled around  the  Altair  repeatedly  and  with  apparent  ease. 
During  this  time  the  bird  had  not  been  observed  to 
alight  on  the  water  or  on  the  boat,  and  its  powers  of 
endurance,  which  are  well  known,  were  here  remarkably 
illustrated.  Perhaps  the  ladies  and  sailors  had  coaxed 
the  big  bird  along  by  occasionally  throwing  morsels  of 
table  refuse  to  it,  which  it  would  skillfully  pick  from  the 
water,  without  arresting  its  flight.  By  thus  leading  it 
on  it  fell  an  easy  prey  to  Parkins,  a  sailor,  when  he  threw 
a  strong  line  overboard  with  a  hook  attached  to  the  end, 
but  artfully  concealed  in  a  piece  of  bacon.  That  is,  the 
bird  was  easily  hooked,  but  it  was  a  different  matter  to 
haul  the  mammoth  sea-fowl  aboard,  though  it  was  suc- 
cessfully accomplished  after  considerable  maneuvring 
and  muscular  exertion. 

To  the  mariner  this  is  a  bird  of  good  omen,  so  the  crew 
were  unanimous  in  regard  to  sparing  its  life.  The  hook 
was  found  to  be  caught  in  the  back  part  of  the  lower 
mandible,  and  the  steel  point  was  soon  removed  without 


328  .     FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

the  captive  being  any  the  worse  for  the  misfortune  which 
had  befallen  him.  The  bird  was  now  free  in  one  sense, 
but  a  prisoner  in  another.  He  was  not  fastened,  yet  he 
could  not  leave  the  deck  for  the  bulwarks  were  an  obsta- 
cle that  he  could  not  surmount.  It  is  a  well  known  fact 
that  these  birds  have  to  take  a  long  run,  whether  on  land 
or  water,  to  take  flight,  and  the  deck  of  the  Altair  did  not 
afford  sufficient  space  for  the  captive  to  rise  into  the  air, 
consequently,  he  was  really  a  prisoner.  Those  coming 
near  him  at  first  had  to  exercise  considerable  care  and  not 
get  within  striking  distance  of  his  sharp-edged,  hooked 
beak  or  his  powerful  wings,  for  he  could  inflict  a  strong 
blow  with  either,  and  a  severe  wound  might  be  made  with 
the  former.  By  kind  treatment  he  soon  became  semi- 
domesticated  and  he  would  then  take  food  from  one's 
hand.  One  day  the  bird  was  weighed,  and  he  just  raised 
the  scale-beam  at  twenty-three  pounds,  and  his  stretch  or 
measurement  from  tip  to  tip  was  fifteen  feet,  six  inches. 

Captain  Ashton  pronounced  this  to  be  a  remarkably 
large  specimen,  although  larger  and  heavier  ones  are  on 
record  as  having  been  taken. 

It  has  been  said  repeatedly  that  Prince  was  an  uncom- 
monly sagacious  dog,  but  he  was  foolish  enough  to  try 
to  make  a  friend  of  Mr.  Albatross.  The  big  bird,  how- 
ever, resented  the  intrusion  by  giving  the  dog  a  sharp 
blow  on  the  nose,  and  ever  after  Prince  kept  a  respectful 
distance  from  the  albatross.  In  fact,  the  St.  Bernard 
seemed  to  realize  that  his  good  intentions  were  not  re- 
ciprocated, and  that  they  had  really  been  insulted,  so  he 
completely  ignored  the  presence  of  the  bird  during  his 
sojourn  on  the  yacht. 

January  9th,  which  was  Tuesday,  Captain  Ashton  an- 
nounced that  if  the  good  weather,  which  they  had  enjoyed 
up  to  that  time,  continued  twenty-four  hours  longer, 
they  would  reach  port. 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  329 

On  the  following-  day  at  1 1  o'clock  in  the  forenoon,  the 
lookout  at  the  mast-head  reported  land  to  the  east.  An 
hour  thereafter  the  mountainous  Chiliean  coast  was  dis- 
tinctly seen  stretched  out  before  them,  and  at  1.15  o'clock 
the  Altair  came  to  anchor  in  the  Bay  of  Valparaiso  near 
the  amphitheatre-like  location  of  the  city. 


330  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

STRANGE      ACTIONS. 

All  that  could  went  ashore  at  Valparaiso,  while  the 
coal  bunkers  of  the  Altair  were  being  filled.  Many  letters 
were  received  and  many  were  sent.  The  latter  told  the 
friends  in  New  York  that  the  expedition  was  journeying 
home  amid  sorrow  and  disappointment.  Many  needful 
articles  were  purchased,  and  the  ladies  could  not  resist 
the  temptation  of  going  shopping  for  the  sake  of  old 
times. 

Monday  morning,  January  15,  1883,  the  yacht  left  the 
harbor  under  full  steam,  and  she  was  destined  for  the  Ma- 
gellan Strait.  As  Point  Angelos  was  being  doubled 
Marion  and  Constance  came  on  deck,  arm  in  arm,  pre- 
pared for  a  promenade. 

Captain  Ashton  was  near  the  lee  rail  scrutinizing 
through  his  marine  glasses  a  Spanish  brig  which  was 
trying  to  make  port  under  an  adverse  wind.  The  breeze 
at  that  time  was  quite  brisk  and  it  blew  from  the  north- 
east. 

"If  it  is  very  interesting,  captain,  we  would  Uke  a 
peep,"  said  Marion. 

"You  may  look  through  the  glasses  if  you  like,  ladies, 
but  I  will  assure  you  that  it  is  hardly  worth  the  trouble. 
I  was  watching  the  rather  clumsy  maneuvers  of  yonder 
ship;  she  carries  the  Spanish  flag." 

"We  will  not  trouble  you  then,"  said  Constance. 

"Oh,  by  the  way,  captain,  are  we  not  near  Robinson 
Crusoe's  Island?"  inquired  Marion. 

"Yes,  Miss  Marion,  we  shall  go  within  a  day's  sail  of 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  331 

Juan  Fernandez,  but  unless  we  alter  our  course  we  shall 
not  even  see  the  famous  islet." 

"I  would  so  much  like  to  see  it  and  always  have  desired 
to  since  I  was  a  little  child  and  used  to  read  about 
Crusoe  in  toy  books.  Cannot  you  change  your  course 
a  little  so  we  may  see  the  island,  if  nothing  more?"  ques- 
tioned Marion  in  an  unrefusable  tone. 

"I  am  perfectly  willing  to  do  so,  if  you  will  get  Mr. 
Young's  consent.  In  fact,  I  would  like  to  see  the  island 
myself,"  returned  the  captain. 

"I  want  to  see  it,  too,  and  we  will  never  have  a  better 
chance,"  said  Constance. 

"Let's  go  and  see  Mr.  Young,"  said  Marion,  and  the 
two  young  ladies  gayly  tripped  off  on  their  errand,  fol- 
lowed by  Prince. 

The  girls  readily  got  Mr.  Young's  consent.  It  would 
not  take  long  to  see  Juan  Fernandez,  and  everybody 
seemed  willing  to  spare  the  time  in  order  that  they 
might  see  the  land  where  Selkirk  used  to  live. 

Ten  minutes  after  the  foregoing  conversation  oc- 
curred, the  Altair  was  plowing  the  sea  in  the  direction  of 
Juan  Fernandez.  The  island  is  about  400  miles  west  of 
Valparaiso  and  if  the  sea  did  not  njn  any  higher  than  it 
was  then  running,  the  east  island,  the  voyagers  thought, 
ought  to  be  sighted  the  next  forenoon. 

Two  stay-sails  were  set  which  not  only  steadied  the 
yacht,  but  also  augmented  her  speed,  for  she  was  favored 
with  a  fair  wind. 

During  the  night  the  strong  wind  nearly  ceased  to 
blow,  and  by  morning  the  ocean  was  comparatively  calm. 

Eager  eyes  watched  for  the  first  sight  of  land,  and  at 
10.30  A.  M.  El  Yunque,  as  the  Spanish  call  the  highest  part 
of  the  island,  appeared.  A  sailor,  with  keen  and  experi- 
enced eyes,  first  sighted  the  land  of  Robinson  Crusoe 
fame,  and  thus  took  the  honors. 

The  highest  peak,  which  resembles  a  huge  pinnacle 


332  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

broken  off  at  the  top,  reaches  an  altitude  of  3,000  feet. 
The  island  itself  is  thirteen  miles  long  and  four  miles 
wide.  It  is  volcanic,  extremely  rugged  and  precipitous, 
while  several  inaccessible  peaks  rear  their  barren  heads 
into  the  air.  The  Spanish  call  this  island  Mas-a-Tierra, 
meaning,  "more  to  land."  A  small  island  nine  miles  west 
of  Juan  Fernandez  is  called  Mas-a-Fuera,  or  "more  to 
sea. 

Captain  Ashton  suggested  that  it  would  be  prudent  to 
steam  to  the  north  coast  and  anchor  in  Cumberland  Bay, 
which  is  the  best  harbor  that  the  island  affords.  This 
bay  is  so  deep  that  it  is  difficult  to  get  a  good,  safe  an- 
chorage, but  the  stay  would  be  short  and  fortunately  the 
weather  was  fine,  so  no  danger  need  be  apprehended. 

Mr.  Young  always  acquiesced  to  Captain  Ashton's  pro- 
posals regarding  the  minor  details  of  the  voyage,  as  the 
owner  considered  his  commander  a  competent  navigator. 

Juan  Fernandez  grew  clearer  and  clearer  to  the  view 
and  finally  the  island  was  rounded;  the  Altair  passed  into 
the  harbor  and  came  to  anchor.  The  bay  seemed  to  be 
nearly  surrounded  with  mountains  and  precipitous  cliffs 
of  basalt  and  greenstone,  while  light  green  vegetation 
clothed  the  mountain  slopes  to  their  very  summits.  A 
settlement  consisting  of  thirty  rude  huts  nestled  near 
the  shore,  and  they  were  occupied  by  Chilians  who  till  the 
soil  in  the  valley  which  slopes  toward  the  harbor. 

Exclamations  of  delight  and  surprise  broke  out  from 
the  passengers,  for  this  was  a  rare  sight  and  one  that 
would  be  long  remembered;  it  was  truly  an  entrancing 
scene.  The  sea-green  water;  the  dark  verdure-dotted 
cliffs;  the  narrow  valley;  the  blue  sky  overhead,  and 
thousands  upon  thousands  of  sea-birds  on  the  water,  on 
the  cliffs,  and  in  the  air,  mad.e  an  extremely  picturesque 
scene. 

No  doubt  considerable  excitement  would  be  created 
among  the  islanders,  as  ships  do  not  visit  them  very  often. 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  333 

and  it  would  not  be  surprising  if  the  Altair  was  the  first 
palatial  pleasure  yacht  that  had  ever  entered  Cumber- 
land Bay, 

The  yacht  had  no  sooner  come  to  anchor  than  several 
row-boats  put  out  from  the  village  and  approached  her. 
They  contained  several  swarthy  natives  of  Spanish  de- 
scent, who  could  not  wait  for  their  visitors  to  come  ashore. 
When  the  islanders  learned  that  the  Americans  had  sim- 
ply come  to  see  the  island  several  of  the  natives  offered 
their  services  as  guides.  They  were  cordially  thanked 
for  tendering  their  services,  but  none  were  engaged  at 
that  time.  Mr.  Young  intended  to  go  ashore  after  din- 
ner when  all  necessary  arrangements  could  be  perfected. 
The  natives  did  not  tarry  long,  but  while  they  remained 
they  expressed  great  admiration  for  the  yacht. 

During  dinner  the  ladies  importuned  Mr.  Stillman 
to  give  them  a  brief  sketch  of  the  history  of  Juan  Fer- 
nandez. 

"Well,"  he  commenced,  "a  pilot  by  the  name  of  Fer- 
nandez discovered  this  island  and  also  the  one  nine  miles 
west  of  us  in  the  year  1563.  He  succeeded  in  obtaining 
a  grant  of  this  islet  from  the  Spanish  government,  and  he 
brought  several  domestic  animals  here  and  made  quite 
an  extensive  sojourn  on  this  isolated  land.  After  this 
pioneer  left,  some  goats  and  pigs  remained  and  they 
flourished,  and  soon  the  island  became  well  stocked  with 
their  descendants.  For  a  long  time  after  there  were  no 
human  beings  on  Juan  Fernandez,  but  the  contiguous 
sea  contained  many  edible  fishes  and  so  Chilian  fisher- 
men came  to  fish,  and  naturally  they  paid  occasional  visits 
to  these  rocky  shores.  Schouten  and  LeMaire  put  into 
this  bay  in  1616,  and  they  reported  goats,  pigs,  fish,  sandal 
wood  and  wild  quinces  as  being  exceedingly  abundant. 

"Next  Admiral  I'Ermite  made  a  short  stop  at  the  island, 
and  when  he  departed  six  of  his  seamen  remained  be- 
hind, and  what  their  fate  was  has  never  been  learned. 
The  bold  and  much  dreaded  buccaneer.  Sharp,  entered 


334  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

Cumberland  Bay  in  1668,  and  he  found  pigs  so  abundant 
that  besides  what  were  killed  and  eaten  fresh,  a  hundred 
were  salted  for  future  consumption.  In  1687  five  men, 
from  a  pirate  ship  commanded  by  Edward  Davis,  volun- 
tarily remained  on  this  island,  and  it  was  not  until  1690 
that  they  left  on  an  English  ship  which  happened  to  call 
here.  Dampier  visited  here  in  1700,  and  while  at  this 
island  Captain  Straddling,  of  the  Cinque  Port  galley  had 
trouble  with  his  men,  and  forty-two  deserted,  but  they 
were  finally  taken  on  board  by  Dampier.  A  few  of  them, 
however,  eventually  remained  on  shore. 

"In  1704  the  Cinque  Port  came  back  and  found  two  of 
these  men.  The  others  had  been  captured  by  the  French. 
During  this  visit  Captain  Straddhng  had  a  diflference 
with  one  of  his  subordinate  officers,  by  the  now  familiar 
name  of  Alexander  Selkirk,  who  after  the  trouble  insisted 
on  being  left  on  the  island,  and  his  wish  was  complied 
with;  he  changed  his  mind  later  and  wanted  to  return 
to  the  ship,  but  was  not  allowed  to  do  so.  He  had  but  a 
few  necessaries  left  with  him,  and  he  remained  here  for 
four  years  and  four  months  in  solitary  exile.  He  was 
rescued  by  Captain  Rogers  of  the  ship  Dtike,  in  1709. 
From  this  man's  story  the  narrative  of  Robinson  Crusoe 
was  suggested  to  Defoe  and,  consequently,  Selkirk's  ex- 
perience was  the  cause  of  that  popular  book  being  writ- 
ten. 

"Commodore  Anson,"  Mr.  Stil'man  continued,  "in  his 
ship  Centurion,  anchored  in  this  bay  in  June  1741,  and 
after  his  return  home  he  decided  to  form  an  English  set- 
tlement here,  but  the  Spaniards  heard  of  the  project  and 
they  hastily  occupied  and  garrisoned  this  island.  When 
Carteret  came  here  he  found  the  Spaniards  hostile  and  so 
he  did  not  land,  but  he  visited  the  western  island  instead. 
Later  Juan  Fernandez  came  into  the  possession  of  the 
Chilians,  and  it  has  been  used  as  a  convict  station  by 
them,  but  it  is  now  occupied  by  families  who  have  come 
here  voluntarily." 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  335 

"This  isolated  land  has  surely  had  an  interesting  and  an 
eventful  history,"  Mr.  Young  added  as  Mr.  Stillman  con- 
cluded. 

"Now,  let  us  go  ashore  and  see  how  we  like  Crusoe's 
home,"  said  Mrs.  Young,  and  they  all  arose  from  the 
dining  table,  went  on  deck  and  prepared  for  an  excursion 
ashore. 

The  launch  was  in  readiness  and  all  of  the  ladies  and 
gentlemen  descended  the  steps,  and,  accompanied  by  a 
few  sailors,  they  steamed  toward  the  village. 

Mr,  Young  obtained  guides,  and  it  was  decided  by  the 
party  that  they  ascend  the  heights  first  so  as  to  get  a  gen- 
eral view  of  the  island,  and  also  to  see  the  tablet  erected 
on  the  hill  road  in  1868,  by  the  officers  of  the  H.  M.  S. 
Topase,  in  memory  of  Selkirk. 

The  afternoon  was  short,  so  they  started  off  at  once, 
accompanied  by  Prince,  who  seemed  to  take  an  enthusi- 
astic part  in  all  these  inland  excursions. 

Marion  and  Constance  amused  themselves  by  collect- 
ing strange  and  rare  plant  forms  by  the  path-sides,  while 
Captain  Ashton  was  ever  on  the  alert  for  specimens  be- 
longing to  the  great  animated  kingdom  of  nature,  and  it 
is  perhaps  needless  to  say  that  he  found  an  abundance 
of  material  on  this  isolated  land. 

The  other  members  of  the  expedition  took  pleasure  in 
noting  and  commenting  on  the  wonders  and  freaks  of 
nature  as  displayed  along  the  mountain  road.  The  great 
pinnacles  and  buttresses  of  rock,  of  the  older  trappean 
series,  were  particularly  noticeable,  and  their  irregularity 
denoted  a  volcanic  origin. 

It  was  very  tedious  work  climbing  the  basaltic  slopes, 
and  even  the  shrubbery  was  so  unfirmly  attached  to  the 
light  soil  that  a  bush  would  come  up  by  the  roots  if  one 
took  hold  of  it  for  support.  This  made  the  climbing 
extremely  hazardous,  and  especially  so  to  one  unac- 
quainted with  this  peculiarity  of  the  vegetation  on  the 
mountain  slopes. 


336  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

After  awhile  the  party  reached  an  elevated  gap  called 
"Selkirk's  Lookout,"  and  a  beautiful  bird's-eye  view  of 
the  island  and  the  surrounding  sea  was  obtained.  The 
Altair  could  be  seen  in  the  bay  far  below,  and  she  looked 
no  larger  than  a  small  row-boat,  the  yacht  was  so  much 
diminished  in  size  by  the  immutable  law  of  perspective. 
At  various  beaches  along  the  coast,  seals  could  be  seen 
in  large  numbers,  and  numerous  species  of  sea-birds 
swarmed  around  the  precipices  and  rocky  declivities  in 
myriads.  The  captain's  binocular  glasses  revealed  these 
and  many  more  interesting  features. 

At  this  place  the  guide  pointed  out  the  tablet  which 
bore  the  following  inscription: 

"In  memory  of  Alexander  Selkirk,  mariner,  a  native  of 
Largo  in  the  County  of  Fife,  Scotland,  who  was  on  this 
island  in  complete  solitude  for  four  years  and  four 
months.  He  was  landed  from  the  Cinque  Port  galley, 
ninety-six  tons,  sixteen  guns,  1794  A.  D.,  and  was  taken 
off  in  the  Duke  privateer,  12th  February,  1709.  He  died 
lieutenant  of  the  Weynwuth,  1723  A.  D.,  aged  forty-seven 
years.  This  tablet  is  erected  near  Selkirk's  lookout  by 
Commodore  Powell  and  officers  of  H.  M.  S.  Topaze, 
1868,  A.  D." 

"Poor  man,  how  he  must  have  suffered!  He  must 
have  been  lonesome  and  discontented  on  this  isjet  night 
and  day  for  over  four  years,  with  nothing  but  wild  birds 
and  animals  for  his  companions,"  said  Mrs.  Stillman. 

"And  then,"  added  her  husband,  "at  first  he  must  have 
had  strong  hopes  of  being  taken  off,  but  as  the  years 
went  slowly  by  and  no  ship  came,  how  sad  and  disap- 
pointed he  must  have  felt.  But  when  the  Duke  sailed 
into  the  harbor,  how  happy  he  must  have  been!  Why, 
I  should  think  that  his  soul  would  have  thrilled  with  joy." 

"I  hope  Fred  is  not  being  subjected  to  that  solitude,  it 
would  have  been  far  better  for  him  to  have  gone  down 
with  the  Polynesia,'  said  Mr.  Young,  agitatedly. 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  337 

• 

"Oh,  I  do  not  think  so!  While  there  is  life  there  is 
hope,"  said  Marion  earnestly. 

The  descent  was  made  by  another  route  that  led 
through  dense  growths  of  trees  and  shrubberies,  A  few 
palms  of  one  species  and  two  kinds  of  magnificent  tree- 
ferns  were  seen.  Also  scattering  sandal-wood  trees, 
which  were  once  abundant,  but  now  t'hinned  out  by  the 
avaricious  hand  of  man.  Ferns  of  many  and  curious 
forms  grew  in  verdant  exuberance  underfoot.  Mr.  Still- 
man  said  that  twenty-four  species  had  been  found  on  Juan 
Fernandez,  Flowering  plants  of  brilliant  hues,  and  pleas- 
ing odoriferous  propensities  were  constantly  met  with, 
and  humming  birds  of  many  colors  and  of  beautiful  iri- 
descent plumage  were  around  the  flowers  in  the  greatest 
profusion.  Their  sheeny  bodies  seemed  to  bear  all  the 
metallic  lusters  known  to  art  and  science,  as  they  darted 
from  flower  to  flower  gathering  the  minute  insects  which 
feed  on  the  enticing  nectar.  Remarkable  plants  with 
gigantic  leaves  grew  in  semi-tropical  luxuriance,  while 
procumbent  rhizomes  ran  along  the  ground  and  their 
leaves  grew  eight  and  ten  feet  high,  supported  by  mas- 
sive stalks,  under  which  a  horse  and  rider  could  pass 
with  ease. 

While  descending  the  mountain  slopes  Captain  Ashton 
secured  several  varieties  of  resplendent  hummers;  a  pair 
of  thrushes,  the  male  a  cinnamon  color,  while  the  female 
was  green,  which  is  a  remarkable  differentiation  of  sex; 
and  a  male  flycatcher  of  a  somber  hue. 

The  guides,  by  a  short  cut,  conducted  the  party  directly 
to  the  north  beach,  on  which  the  seals  delight  to  take 
sun  baths,  and  to  gambol  among  the  breakers. 

The  sun  was  probably  two  hours  high  when  the  guides, 
followed  by  the  people  of  the  Altair,  descended  a  steep 
and  dangerous  greenstone  cliff  by  a  narrow  and  circuit- 
ous path,  and  after  a  few  minutes  of  careful  and  tedious 
descent  the  sandy  beach  was  reached.  The  ladies  were 
nearly  all  exhausted,  so  a  short  rest  was  in  order,  and  the 


338  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

fragments  of  igneous  rocks  scattered  round  at  the  base 
of  the  declivity  served  as  improvised  seats. 

This  beach  was  probably  one-fourth  of  a  mile  in  length 
and  it  formed  an  arc  of  a  circle  the  convexity  being 
inland.  The  incline  to  the  contiguous  sea  was  quite  steep 
and  the  shore  was  comparatively  narrow.  Overhanging 
cliffs  appeared  to  completely  hem  the  sandy  shore  in, 
and  it  suggested  a  dangerous  locality  for  a  stranger  at 
high  tide,  but  the  guides  said  that  they  had  never  known 
the  water  to  completely  submerge  the  beach,  and  to  sub- 
stantiate their  assertion  they  pointed  out  the  line  of  drift 
wood,  sea-weed,  etc.,  which  was  the  maximum  high  water 
mark.  It  was  but  a  few  feet  from  the  base  of  the  preci- 
pice. 

Prince  gamboled  on  the  sand  and  pebbles  and  ran  up 
and  down  the  beach,  apparently  enjoying  the  presence  of 
the  seals  and  sea-lions  in  the  surf  and  on  the  shore. 

The  amphibians  barked  and  grunted  at  him  as  he 
passed  them,  and  some  of  the  more  timid  ones  floundered 
into  the  sea. 

Marion  and  Constance  feared  for  his  safety  among  the 
mammoth  sea-lions,  but  he  was  so  pleased  with  the  seals 
that  he  was  deaf  to  the  call  of  his  friends. 

"O,  dear!  I  am  afraid  he  will  attack  some  of  those  big 
seals,  and  they  may  kill  him,"  said  Constance. 

"Don't  be  alarmed,  Miss,  he  can't  catch  the  seals  and 
they  won't  hurt  him,"  said  one  of  the  guides. 

"Are  they  perfectly  harmless?  Have  they  not  got 
teeth?"  inquired  Constance. 

"Oh,  yes.  Miss,  but  they  won't  use  them  if  they  can 
help  it.  If  your  dog  should  go  toward  the  seals,  they 
would  dive  into  the  water  and  get  out  of  sight  in  almost 
no  time." 

The  ladies  smiled;  they  were  re-assured. 

Prince  had  wandered  some  distance  down  the  beach, 


FREDERICK    YOUNO.  339 

and  as  the  party  was  quite  rested,  some  of  them  began 
to  think  about  returning  to  Cumberland  Bay. 

"Come,  Mr.  Young,  Captain  Ashton,  father,  and  every- 
body, are  we  not  sufficiently  rested?  Let  us  walk  down 
the  shore  and  see  the  seals,"  said  Marion. 

"Very  well,  Marion,  the  sun  is  getting  low,  perhaps  it 
will  be  better  for  us  to  see  the  amphibians  and  then  return 
to  the  village,"  returned  Mr,  Young,  arising. 

The  others  arose  and  followed  their  leader. 

As  they  sauntered  along  the  pebbly  shore  the  Waves 
continually  broke  in  a  white  foam  at  their  feet  and  the 
colored  stones  showed  up  to  the  best  advantage;  in  fact, 
they  looked  as  if  they  had  received  a  fresh  coat  of  var- 
nish to  set  forth  their  beauty. 

The  seals  sniflfed  the  air,  gave  a  few  barks  and  then 
clumsily  slipped  into  the  water  as  the  party  approached. 
The  amphibians'  heads,  however,  would  appear  a  few  sec- 
onds later  from  the  sea  and  but  a  few  feet  from  the  shore. 
They  were  very  timid,  but  their  curiosity  overcame  their 
diffidence  to  a  certain  extent.  Their  smooth,  rounded 
heads;  large,  soft,  and  expressive  eyes;  and  branching 
smellers  gave  the  animals  a  gentle  and  an  attractive 
aspect,  as  they  wonderingly  gazed  at  the  intruders.  These 
seals  were  the  smaller  variety,  and  they  were  some  four 
or  five  feet  in  length;  in  color  light  below;  yellowish  gray 
above,  and  spotted  irregularly  with  dark  brown.  The 
larger  species,  which  was  of  nearly  the  same. color,  al- 
though the  spots  or  blotches  did  not  appear  to  be  as  dis- 
tinct, were  not  much  afraid  of  their  superiors.  These  were 
the  sea-lions,  so  called,  and  they  were  eight  or  more  feet 
in  length,  and  they  were  better  adapted  to  locomotion 
on  land  than  their  smaller  congeners.  The  former.  Cap- 
tain Ashton  said,  belonged  to  the  eared  seals,  and  they 
were  undoubtedly  the  Otaria  jubata  of  mammalogists. 

It  was,  indeed,  a  strange  sight  to  see  these  gentle  crea- 
tures in  such  proximity.    It  was  very  evident  that  these 


340  FREDERICK    YOUNG, 

seals  were  not  much  hunted  by  men.  Everybody  was 
deHg*hted,  and'  some  of  the  party  felt  as  if  they  would  like 
to  caress  and  make  friends  with  the  innocent  looking- 
amphibians,  but  it  was  impossible  to  approadh  them  near 
enough  to  do  so. 

"These  mammals,"  explained  Captain  Ashton,  "are 
very  awkward  on  land  but  extremely  agile  in  the  warer. 
They  habitually  feed  on  fishes  and  crustacems,  and  in 
the  far  south  or  polar  regions  they  lie  on  the  iceberg^ 
and  floes  apparently  unconscious  of  the  cold." 

"Can  they  be  kept  alive?"  inquired  Constance. 

"Yes,  indeed,  have  you  not  seen  them  in  menageries  or 
zoological  gardens?" 

"Perhaps  I  have,  but  one  sees  so  much  in  those  places 
that  it  is  difficult  to  remember  every  thing." 

"True,  but  these  seals  are  often  kept  for  a  long  time 
in  captivity,  and  they  are  said  to  soon  become  firmly 
attached  to  their  attendants,  and  feed  out  of  their  hands 
with  a  total  absence  of  hesitation  or  fear." 

Prince  had  now  returned  to  his  companions  and  he 
seemed  inclined  to  stay  with  them. 

The  ocean  drift  at  the  base  of  the  rocks  next  received 
the  attention  of  the  party.  It  was  a  heterogeneous  mass 
which  the  waves  had  been  depositing  there  for  unknown 
ages,  but,  of  course,  the  older  drift  had  become  decom- 
posed and  it  then  only  served  as  a  foundation  for  more 
recent  accumulations.  Among  this  drift  were  found 
many  perfect  univalve  and  bivalve  shells,  well  preserved 
crustaceans,  echinoderms  of  various  forms,  dried  fishes 
and  their  skeletons,  sponges,  sea-fans  and  many  beauti- 
ful species  of  sea-algae. 

All  were  enthusiastic  collecting  these  unique  produc- 
tions of  the  briny  sea.  The  shells  with  delicate  pink  and 
purple  tints  were  perhaps  more  sought  after  than  the 
richly  iridescent  pearls,  which  were  numerous. 

An  hour  was  spent  searching  for  conchological  speci- 
mens, when  Mr.  Young  announced  that  it  was  getting 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  341 

late,  and  tliat  all  ought  to  return  to  the  Altair  without 
further  delay. 

But  Marion  moved  a  few  steps  farther  down  the  strand, 
accompanied  by  Prince. 

The  St.  Bernard  was  walking  on  the  drift.  Suddenly 
he  smelled  of  a  particular  spot  for  a  few  seconds,  then 
he  raised  his  head,  barked  long  and  loudly,  and  seemed 
strangely  excited. 

Marion  went  to  the  spot.  Prince  was  digging  with  his 
paws;  trying,  seemingly,  to  get  nearer  the  object  that  he 
had  scented. 

"What  is  it,  old  fellow?    Tell  me!"  she  said. 

The  dog  looked  up  for  a  second  and  his  great,  honest 
and  intelligent  eyes  met  her  gaze,  then  he  uttered  that  pe- 
culiar moan,  with  which  his  friends  had  become  familiar, 
and  resumed  his  digging. 

"He  has  evidently  scented  some  animal,"  said  Mr. 
Young,  procuring  a  strip  of  board  and  assisting  the  dog. 

All  manner  of  ocean  productions  were  thrown  aside, 
and  about  eight  inches  below  the  surface  of  the  drift,  Mr. 
Young's  stick  struck  something  hard  and  slippery. 

Prince  put  his  nose  to  it,  then  he  raised  his  head  and 
gave  vent  to  an  unearthly,  soul-stirring  howl  that  was 
really  mournful  in  its  character,  and  yet  it  seemed  to 
indicate  a  certain  degree  of  joy  fulness. 


342  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

A    FOREIGN    VISITOR. 

The  two  castaways  on  Empire  Island  continued  their 
labors  unconscious  of  the  vicissitudes  of  hope  and  despair 
that  the  searching-  party  was  passing  through.  Fred, 
especially,  had  no  idea  how  his  parents  and  friends  had 
worked  and  suffered  for  him.  It  would  have  pained  him 
deeply  to  have  known  that  succor  had  at  one  time  been 
so  near,  and  that  cruel  circumstances  had  widened  the 
breach  between  him  and  his  family.  Surely  ignorance 
was  bliss. 

The  26th  of  June,  1882,  labor  at  boat-building  was  re- 
sumed. Mr.  Ellsworth  and  Fred  were  working  from  day- 
light until  dark  every  week  day  in  order  that  the  comple- 
tion of  the  boat  might  be  hastened  as  much  as  possible. 
All  of  the  time  that  was  spared  from  this  work  was  while 
food  was  being  procured,  prepared  and  eaten,  and  while 
the  necessary  rest  and  sleep  were  being-  obtained. 

The  overhanging  basaltic  clifif  under  which  the  work 
was  being  carried  on  afforded  excellent  protection  from 
sun  and  wet.  It  was  about  150  feet  high  and  it  projected 
over  the  beach  twenty  or  twenty-five  feet.  This  great 
rocky  promontory  was  really  a  continuation  of  one  of  the 
numerous  spur  buttresses  of  Mount  Ellsworth.  The 
influx  of  the  sea  at  even  an  abnormally  high  tide  did  not 
approach  the  ship-yard  nearer  than  fifteen  feet,  so  the 
work  under  the  rocky  roof  progressed  uninterruptedly, 
but  not  rapidly. 

The  most  difficult  and  tedious  work  encountered  was 
g-etting  out  sufficient  material  from  the  tree  butts  to  con- 
struct their  craft.  However,  when  August  5th  came  it 
was  decided  that  enough  lumber  had  been  gotten  out  to 


FREDERICK    YOUNG,  343 

complete  the  boat,  and  preparations  for  finishing  their 
work  went  on  quite  rapidly. 

August  loth  came;  the  day's  work  was  done,  supper 
was  eaten  and  the  lonely  castaways  sat  on  the  veranda  of 
their  cabin  and  talked  and  enjoyed  nature's  charms.  It 
was  a  lovely  night,  the  sky  was  clear,  and  not  one  of  the 
lustrous  gems  set  therein  was  obscured  by  intervening 
clouds.  As  darkness  spread  its  Cimmerian  mantle  com- 
pletely over  the  island,  and  the  last  glow  from  the  solar 
rays  became  obliterated  in  the  west,  numerous  minute 
meteors  were  noticed  shooting  through  the  upper  strata 
of  the  atmosphere,  and  there  leaving  perfect  lines  of  lu- 
minous dust  to  mark  their  course. 

"How  uncommonly  abundant  shooting  stars  are  to- 
night," Fred  said. 

"Let  me  see,  this  is  the  loth  of  August,"  slowly  said 
Mr.  Ellsworth. 
"Yes." 

"Then,  for  the  next  forty-eight  hours  the  earth  will  be 
crossing  the  orbit  of  the  meteor  swarm  known  as  the 
Perseides.  So  that  accounts  for  the  unusual  display  of 
meteors  to-night,  and  we  may  expect  a  repetition  of  the 
phenomena  to-morrow  evening." 

"Are  not  meteors,  like  other  members  of  the  solar 
system,  governed  by  gravitation?" 
"Certainly." 

"Then  how  does  the  earth  cross  the  orbit  of  these 
meteor  swarms?  If  the  sun  is  the  common  center  of 
attraction  for  both  meteors  and  planets,  one  would  natur- 
ally suppose  that  their  circular  orbits  would  preclude  all 
possibility  of  contact." 

"Astronomers  were  long  misled  by  following  that  very 
hypothesis,  Fred,  but  now  they  know  by  actual  proof 
and  observation  that  their  predecessors  were  wrong.  It 
is  now  an  established  fact  that  the  planets  and  asteroids 
have  nearly  circular  orbits  around  the  great  central  lu- 
minary, while  certain  erratic  bodies,  including  comers 


344  FREDERICK    YOUNG, 

and  meteors,  'have  oval  or  oblong  orbits.  This,  you  will 
readily  understand,  accounts  for  the  periodicity  of  these 
so-called  star  showers." 

"And  how  far  from  the  sun  do  these  meteors  wander 
through  space?" 

"That  question  has  not  been  definitely  determined,  but 
it  is  known  that  the  shooting  stars  which  appear  to  di- 
verge from  a  certain  point  in  the  constellation  Leo  have 
a  period  of  thirty-three  and  a  quarter  years.  Of  course, 
after  knowing  their  period  and  velocity  it  is  not  difficult 
to  compute  the  point  of  aphelion,  which  in  the  case  under 
consideration,  is  near  the  orbit  of  the  distant  planet  Ura- 
nus. The  Leonids,  as  the  thirty-three  year  swarm  is 
called,  travel  at  the  enormous  velocity,  compared  with 
terrestrial  motions,  of  twenty-six  miles  a  second,  and 
since  the  earth  is  traveling  in  nearly  the  opposite  direction 
and  at  a  rate  of  nineteen  miles  a  second,  it  follows  that 
the  meteors  plunge  into  the  upper  strata  of  our  atmos- 
phere at  the  rate  of  forty-five  miles  a  second.  The  friction 
caused  by  this  encounter  immediately  heats  and  burns 
the  smaller  meteors  to  dust,  which  falls  on  the  earth  by 
the  hundreds  of  tons  yearly,  thereby  adding  to  its  bulk, 
weight,  and  gravity.  In  the  course  of  countless  ages  the 
earth  may  grow  to  be  as  large  as  Jupiter  is  at  the  present 
time,  or  it  may  rival  the  sun  itself  in  size ;  we  cannot  pos- 
sibly limit  the  probable  growth  of  our  sphere.  But,  of 
course,  as  the  size  of  our  globe  is  increased  by  the  impact 
of  foreign  bodies  from  interstellar  space,  so  are  the  other 
members  of  our  system  enlarged  in  a  like  manner.  This 
growth  is  probably  universal,  and  all  bodies  now  travers- 
ing space  were  once  much  smaller  than  they  now  are." 

"That  is  a  new  idea  to  me,  Mr.  Ellsworth,  and  it  sug- 
gests many  trains  of  thought  which  I  have  never  fol- 
lowed." 

"People  who  think  of  these  things  are  like  Confucius, 
Pliny,  Galileo,  and  others;  that  is,  they  are  many  years 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  345 

ahead  of  their  time.  Their  unconcerned  contemporaries 
are  unfortunate  in  not  having  reached  that  stage  of  evo- 
lutional development.  Fred,  mark  my  word,  the  time  is 
yet  coming  when  a  private  observatory,  containing  the 
most  modern  and  approved  instruments  for  examining 
the  bodies  of  space,  will  be  a  necessary  adjunct  to  the 
dwelling  places  of  all  well-informed  and  well-to-do  peo- 
ple. The  time  has  not  yet  come,  but  the  tide  of  popular 
interest  in  cosmic  phenomena  is  setting  in,  as  is  evi- 
denced by  the  way  astronomy  and  kindred  sciences  are 
treated  of  in  the  unscientific  periodicals  of  the  day.  The 
tidal  wave  has  not  yet  appeared  on  the  horizon  of  en- 
lightenment, but  its  advent  is  sure  to  agitate  our  poster- 
ity, and  thunder  at  the  gates  of  ignorance,  and  conquer 
and  subdue  the  many  who  linger  behind  the  portals." 

"It  may  be  as  you  say,  but  I  am  afraid  the  glitter  of 
gold  will  obscure  the  sight  and  dull  the  intellect  of  future 
generations  as  it  does  the  present.  But  to  return  to  the 
meteors,  can  you  tell  me  how  many  come  in  contact  with 
the  earth  in  a  given  period  of  time?" 

"The  best  calculation,  based  on  careful  study,  gives  the 
mean  number  of  these  bodies  entering  our  air  envelope 
daily  as  not  less  than  20,000,000.  Many  of  these  are 
visible  through  powerful  telescopes,  but  invisible  to  the 
naked  eye." 

"And  how  large  are  these  meteors  ordinarily?" 

"Many  are  no  larger  than  a  grain  of  sand,  and  some  of 
the  brighter  ones  are  perhaps  as  large  as  a  pea,  while  some 
which  reach  the  surface  of  the  earth  weigh  many  tons. 
One  may  get  a  very  good  idea  of  the  appearance  and 
structure  of  these  foreign  bodies  by  examining  and  study- 
ing the  excellent  collection  in  the  National  Museum  in 
Washington.  There  you  may  see  large  quantities  of 
meteors  and  meteorites  ranging  from  the  size  of  a  num- 
ber six  shot,  which  are  preserved  in  small  phials,  to  the 
great  masses  weighing  hundreds  of  pounds," 


346  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

Ayhile  the  foregoing  conversation  was  being  carried  on 
a  remarkable  display  of  shooting  stars  was  observed. 
The  castaways  left  the  veranda,  crossed  Palm  River,  and 
ascended  Metropolitan  Hill,  that  they  might  have  a  better 
view  of  the  sky.  They  stood  on  the  crest  of  this  emi- 
nence, awed  into  silence  by  the  celestial  pyrotechnics, 
which  was  indeed  beautiful  to  behold.  The  sky  was  fairly 
ablaze  with  the  phosphorescent  appearing  trails  of  the 
meteors. 

An  hour  had  passed,  and  the  castaways  had  become 
fatigued  and  they  were  just  going  to  return  to  their 
humble  abode,  when  an  incident  startling —  yes,  appal- 
ling in  its  character,  took  place.  The  shooting  stars  were 
hidden  from  view  by  a  yellowish  light,  which  suddenly 
overspread  the  sky,  and  the  island  became  as  light  as  day. 
Mount  Young  and  Mount  Ellsworth  stood  out  in  bold 
relief  against  the  heavens;  every  thing  visible  could  be 
seen  plainly. 

The  scientist  turned  to  the  northwest,  from  whence  the 
light  seemed  to  come. 

"Look!"  he  shouted.  "A  new  sun  has  appeared  to 
us!" 

Sure  enough,  a  body  more  brilliant,  more  dazzling,  and 
as  large  in  appearance  as  the  midday  sun,  blazed  in  the 
sky.  The  observers  had  but  just  time  to  look,  when  the 
dazzling  visitor  seemed  to  pass  over  their  heads  like  a 
flash  of  lightning,  and  simultaneously  the  air  reverber- 
ated with  a  series  of  crashing  detonations  that  a  hundred 
cannons  could  not  have  equaled.  The  frightened  men 
covered  their  ears  with  their  hands.  Their  ear-drums 
could  not.  stand  such  air  vibrations  without  becoming 
impaired  thereby.  The  castaways  had  never  before  wit- 
nessed or  heard  anything  like  it,  but  it  only  .lasted  a  few 
seconds,  when  the  light  disappeared  as  quickly  as  it  had 
come,  and  with  its  disappearance  the  island  trembled  as 
if  shaken  by  an  earthquake.  Surely  it  seemed  that  the 
celestial  powers  were  uniting  with  the  Plutonic  forces 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  347 

to  disturb  this  solitary  islet  and  its  two  human  inhabi- 
tants. 

"Hurrah!  Hurrah!"  shouted  Mr.  Ellsworth,  gesticu- 
lating wildly. 

"For  mercy's  sake,  what  is  the  matter?  Are  you  hurt, 
or  has  this  event  caused  aberration  of  your  brain?"  said 
Fred,  in  perplexity. 

"At  last!  At  last,  the  privilege  has  been  mine!"  con- 
tinued the  scientist. 

"He  is  certainly  suffering  from  alienation  of  the  mind!'* 
thought  Fred. 

"Do  you  not  understand,  Fred?  We  have  seen  an  un- 
usually large  meteor,  and  a  big  meteorite  has  fallen  on 
Empire  Island,  and  I  know  the  spot.  I  saw  it  when  it 
struck  the  earth.  It  was  just  this  side  of  the  limestone 
cliffs,  on  the  northeast  shore  of  Sylvan  Lake.  Come, 
let  us  hasten  there.  I  will  not  sleep  until  I  find  the  visitor 
from  the  infinite  beyond." 

So  saying  the  scientist  dashed  down  the  hill,  and  Fred 
'had  no  choice  but  to  follow  his  eccentric  companion. 

It  was  a  mile  and  a  half  to  the  spot  indicated  by  Mr. 
Ellsworth,  but  they  had  cut  a  good  path  along  the  river 
to  the  lake,  and  by  following  this  well  known  course  they 
soon  reached  the  cliffs. 

A  three  hours'  search  failed  to  reveal  any  trace  of  the 
meteorite.  The  scientist  was  too  far  away  to  locate  the 
exact  spot  where  the  stranger  from  outer  space  fell,  and 
he  now  recognized  the  fact  that  it  would  be  futile  to  pro- 
long the  search  in  the  semi-darkness,  so  he  reluctantly  re- 
turned to  Cocoanut  Grove  House  with  his  companion. 

"We  will  find  it  in  the  morning,  Fred." 

"It  may  not  be  an  easy  matter  to  locate  it  in  the  day- 
light." 

"I  anticipate  no  trouble,  as  I  took  the  range  between 
Metropolitan  Hill  and  the  cliffs,  and  it  must  be  on  the 


348  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

line  between  those  points,  and  very  near  the  rocks,  I 
think." 

"Well,  let  us  get  some  sleep ;  it  is  already  late." 

"I  said  I  would  not  sleep  until  the  meteorite  was  found, 
or  other  words  to  that  effect,  and  I  shall  undoubtedly 
keep  my  word  whether  I  wish  to  change  it  or  not,  for 
after  the  excitement  of  this  evening  insomnia  will  surely 
be  my  lot  for  the  balance  of  the  night." 

When  Fred  awoke  the  next  morning  his  companion 
had  gone.  Fred  looked  at  his  watch.  It  was  ten  minutes 
before  5  o'clock.  Mr.  Ellsworth  had  gotten  up  early, 
and  as  his  friend  was  sleeping,  the  scientist  went  out 
alone. 

"He  did  not  want  to  wake  me,  and  he  was  too  impatient 
to  loiter  here,"  thought  Fred.  "I  will  get  a  morsel  of 
food  and  follow  him." 

When  Fred  got  near  the  clififs  he  shouted.  An  answer 
came  from  the  neighboring  forest.  He  went  in  the  di- 
rection from  whence  the  reply  had  come,  and  he  soon 
came  to  where  his  friend  was.  Mr,  Ellsworth  had  a 
wooden  shovel  and  he  was  making  the  earth  fly  at  an 
amazing  rate.  A  pile  four  feet  in  height  had  already 
been  thrown  out  by  the  industrious  scientist,  and  he  had 
excavated  to  the  depth  of  five  feet. 

"I  have  found  it,  and  it  is  a  big  one,"  said  Mr.  Ellsworth, 
when  he  saw  Fred  appear, 

"Where  is  it?" 

"Eight  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  earth.  We  will 
have  a  difficult  time  in  getting  it  out,  I  am  afraid." 

"How  did  you  find  it?" 

"Do  you  see  that  tree,"  pointing  at  what  had  once  been 
an  acacia  tree  with  a  trunk  two  feet  in  diameter. 

"I  see  a  shattered  butt.  It  looks  as  if  it  had  been 
lightning-struck." 

"Worse  than  that,  my  friend,  it  was  struck  by  a  red  hot 
five  ton  meteorite  last  night,  and  when  I  found  this  un- 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  349 

fortunate  tree,  I  soon  found  a  big  hole  in  the  earth,  and 
my  prize  at  the  bottom  of  it." 

Fred  knew  that  no  more  work  would  be  done  on  the 
boat  by  Mr.  Ellsworth  until  the  meteorite  was  unearthed 
so  he  got  one  of  the  steel  bars  which  had  been  sharpened 
at  one  end  and  assisted  in  the  excavation. 

It  was  3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  before  the  celestial 
visitor  was  laid  bare,  and  an  incline  had  been  dug  to  it. 
It  was  a  massive  meteorite  with  a  blackish,  pitted  crust, 
and  very  irregular  in  shape.  Fragments  had  probably 
been  thrown  off  when  the  sharp  detonations  were  heard, 
but  the  sound  which  resembled  thunder  was  undoubtedly 
caused  by  displacement  of  the  air  molecules  and  the  crea- 
tion of  a  partial  vacuum  in  the  track  of  the  rushing  body. 
When  the  air  rushed  in  to  fill  this  vacuum,  the  violent 
concussion  caused  the  crashing  sounds. 

"Well,"  said  Mr.  Ellsworth,  when  their  work  was  done, 
"I  did  not  estimate  the  weight  of  our  ultramundane  visi- 
tor too  high,  I  think.  It  is  surely  five  feet  long,  tliree 
feet  wide  and  two  and  one-half  feet  thick,  and  by  its 
crust  I  should  judge  that  considerable  iron  and  nickel 
are  contained  in  its  mass." 

"Of  what  are  meteorites  usually  composed?    I  have 
had  an  idea  that  they  were  principally  made  up  of  iron." 

"The  chief  elements  found  in  these  foreign  bodies  are: 
iron,  magnesium,  silicon,  oxygen,  nickel,  cobalt,  chro- 
mium, manganese,  titanium,  tin,  copper,  aluminium,  po- 
tassium, sodium,  calcium,  arsenic,  phosphorus,  nitrogen, 
sulphur,  chlorine,  carbon,  hydrogen,  lithium  and  anti- 
mony." 

"And  is  the  production  of  the  Widmannstatten  figures 
by  etching  an  infallible  proof  that  a  body  came  from  in- 
terstellar regions?" 

"It  was  once  thought  to  be,  but  when  Nordenskiold 
discovered  huge  masses,  of  what  resembled  meteoric  iron 
imbedded  in  the  igneous  rocks  of  Greenland,  and  when  it 
was  subjected  to  the  acid  test  and  the  peculiar  lines  ap- 


350  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

peared,  the  former  theory'was  abandoned.  It  could  no 
longer  prove  that  a  mineral  mass  came  from  regions 
foreign  to  our  sphere." 

"Where  do  you  think  this  meteorite  came  from,  and 
what  set  it  in  such  rapid  motion?" 

"Those  are  simple  questions,  Fred,  but  they  are  far  in 
advance  of  the  present  state  of  our  knowledge.  This 
rock  may  have  been  traveling  through  dark,  cold  space 
since  time  was  a  babe.  Perhaps  our  numerals  are  inca- 
pable of  representing  the  time  that  this  meteorite  has 
been  traversing  the  great  void  which  man  cannot  or  has 
not  measured.  The  enormous  velocities  with  which  the 
various  bodies  of  the  universe  travel  are  probably  caused 
by  the  magfnetic  attraction  one  inert  body  has  for 
another.  How  these  bodies  were  set  in  motion  in  the 
beginning  is  beyond  the  conception  of  humanity,  and  how 
they  originated,  or,  rather,  how  the  component  elements 
originated,  we,  in  all  probability,  shall  never  know.  Of 
course  the  majority  will  say:  'God  made  the  matter  of 
which  everything  in  the  universe  is  composed.'  Perhaps 
he  did,  and  probably  this  simple  explanation  will  satisfy 
the  knowledge-craving  of  a  great  many  individuals,  but  it 
does  not  satisfy  my  mind.  If  something  was  created  out 
of  nothing,  I  want  to  know  by  what  process  it  was  ac- 
complished. To  say  that  it  was  simply  will  power  is 
puerile,  absurd,  preposterous!" 

"We  might  surmise  and  speculate  on  these  subjects  all 
our  natural  lives,  I  suppose,  and  then  the  truth  would  be 
as  far  beyond  our  reach  as  it  is  at  this  time.  The  meteor- 
ite now  lies  exposed  before  us.  What  shall  we  do  with 
it?"    said  Fred. 

"I  wish  we  could  get  it  to  our  cabin;  but  it  is  too 
heavy  for  us  to  move  unless  we  manufacture  apparatus 
for  the  work,"  Mr.  Ellsworth  replied. 

"If  we  get  it  there  it  will  be  impossible  to  take  it  away 
in  our  boat,  so  we  had  better  save  our  strength  and  time 
for  more  profitable  work." 


FEED E RICK    YOUNG.  351 

"True,  Fred,  and  if  we  ever  reach  home  we  will  send 
after  this  meteorite,  and  I  will  buy  your  share  and  pre- 
sent the  foreign  visitor  to  the  Watertown  University." 

"I  claim  no  part  of  this  meteorite,  Mr.  Ellsworth,  you 
may  consider  the  whole  of  it  as  your  own," 

"But,  Fred,  these  are  very  valuable;  they  sometimes 
bring,  when  cut,  etched  and  polished,  as  high  as  two 
dollars  an  ounce,  so  you  see  this  rock,  to  a  great  many, 
would  be  a  fortune." 

"I  would  rather  see  home  and  friends  once  more  than 
to  own  that  metallic  mass,  even  if  it  were  composed  of 
twenty-four  carat  gold." 

"That  is  right,  Fred,  I  only  mentioned  the  worldly  value 
of  meteorites  for  your  information.  It  is  of  no  intrinsic 
worth  to  you  and  me,  so  we  will  leave  it  here  and  con- 
tinue our  good  work." 

Before  the  scientist  returned  to  Coral  Bay  he  chipped 
a  fragment  from  the  meteorite  to  deposit  among  the 
mineral  treasures  at  Cocoanut  Grove  Cabin.  His  col- 
lections there  were  assuming  massive  proportions,  and 
Fred  suggested,  jocosely,  that  they  build  an  addition  to 
the  cabin  as  a  museum  hall. 

As  the  castaways  meandered  slowly  homeward,  Mr, 
Ellsworth  closely  examined  the  fragment,  and  suddenly 
he  uttered  an  exclamation  of  surprise  ,••  he  had  evidently 
made  a  discovery,* 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Fred. 

"I  cannot  be  deceived,  and  yet  it  does  not  seem  possible, 
but  if  I  am  right  this  will  revolutionize  science,  I  will 
make  tests,  and  I  think  my  conclusion  will  be  verified," 
muttered  the  scientist,  unconscious  that  Fred  had  spoken. 

"May  I  ask  what  you  are  talking  about?"  Fred  again 
ventured. 

"Why,  my  friend,  this  is  one  of  the  most  interesting 
and  important  discoveries  of  modem  times,  it  may  be  the 
means  of  solving  many  scientific  problems.     Yes,"  con- 


353  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

tinued  Mr.  Ellsworth,  "this  fragment  undoubtedly  con- 
tains several  minute  diamonds." 

"I  fail  to  understand  wherein  the  great  importance  lies, 
your  gems  are  not  large  enough  to  be  of  any  commercial 
value,"  returned  Fred. 

"You  do  not  understand  the  true  significance  of  this 
discovery,  my  friend.  Now,  of  what  do  diamonds  mainly 
consist?" 

"Of  carbon,"  responded  Fred. 

"And  you  have  studied  chemistry?" 

"Yes." 

"Then  you  must  know  that  all  unoxidized  carbon  on 
our  globe  'has  been  formed  by  the  action  of  organic  life; 
in  other  words,  it  is  absolutely  necessary,  so  far  as  we 
know,  for  the  action  of  life  to  be  the  medium  whereby 
carbon  is  separated  from  its  combination  with  oxygen." 

"I  now  recollect  that  what  you  say  is  claimed  by 
modern  chemists." 

"Now,  Fred,  the  natural  laws  that  are  in  force  on  the 
earth  are  evidently  immutable  throughout  the  universe; 
at  least,  some  we  can  prove  are.  If  carbon  cannot  be 
produced  without  the  action  of  organic  life  on  the  earth, 
we  naturally  infer  that  it  is  so  on  other  bodies,  and  as 
diamonds  are  nearly  pure  carbon,  does  not  their  pres- 
ence in  this  meteorite  indicate  that  our  ultramundane 
visitor  came  from  a  part  of  the  firmament  where  plants 
and  perhaps  animals  once  existed,  if  they  do  not  at  the 
present  time?" 

"Ah!  I  see  your  point.  If  pure  carbon  in  this  me- 
teorite is  evidence  that  life  of  any  sort  has  existed  outside 
of  the  earth,  the  discovery  is,  indeed,  of  incalculable  im- 
portance." 

"I  think,  Fred,  that  this  straggler  from  the  unknown 
realms  may  be  the  silent  bearer  of  a  sad  tale.  It  pic- 
tures in  my  mind  a  beautiful  sphere  teeming  with  wonder- 
ful forms  of  animal  and  vegetable  life,  of  a  world  that  had 
passed  through  the  epochs  of  nebulosity  and  reached  t-iC 


FREDERICK    YOUNQ.  353 

maximum  of  its  life-bearing  stage,  at  a  period  so  remote 
that  the  vaporous  state  of  our  solar  system  in  comparison 
is  but  as  yesterday.  I  can  imagine  the  decline  of  this 
ancient  world,  when  the  great  central  luminary,  from 
which  the  organic  forms  derived  their  light  and  heat,  be- 
gan to  shine  with  a  lurid  glare,  then  it  became  incrusted 
in  places,  forming  ominous  black  patches  upon  its  sur- 
face, and  finally  its  intense  heat  became  entirely  quenched 
and  the  cold  of  outer  space  reigned  in  nearly  total  dark- 
ness, only  the  distant  suns,  which  were  then  in  their 
infancy,  shone  as  points  of  light  and  feebly  illuminated 
the  system  that  had  died  a  natural  death.  A  fate  that  our 
system,  and  all  other  systems  must  succumb  to,  for  it  is 
but  a  natural  sequence  of  natural  events. 

"When  darkness  came  over  this  remote  body  of  an- 
tiquity which  we  have  under  consideration,  all  life  upon 
its  surface  ceased  to  exist ;  all  liquids  became  congealed, 
and  silence  and  eternal  darkness  took  the  place  of  the 
beauteous  life  and  animation  which  were  no  more.  But 
this  was  not  the  end,  for  I  doubt  if  the  proper  places 
can  be  assigned  to  Alpha  and  Omega  in  nature. 
No,  this  ancient  world  had  passed  its  most  attractive 
stage,  but  it  had  not  lost  its  forward  motion  through 
space,  and  perhaps  it  traveled  for  a  period  of  time  that 
vigintillions  of  years  would  not  express,  and  then  it  came 
in  violent  contact  with  another  sphere  which  had  been 
moving  in  an  opposite  direction.  Energy  is  never  lost, 
therefore,  the  impact  of  these  two  bodies ;  the  arrestation 
of  their  centrifugal  forces  was  instantaneously  followed 
by  intense  heat.  The  energy  of  motion  had  by  the  col- 
lision been  converted  into  a  heat  which  was  so  great  that 
the  two  bodies  were  completely  liquefied  if  not  vaporized, 
and  a  new  nebula  of  great  heat  and  brilliancy  shone  in 
space,  which  was  perhaps  destined  to  form  a  new  system 
and  to  follow  in  the  track  of  supremacy  and  decline  of  its 
predecessors.  When  the  collision  occurred,  no  doubt, 
numerous  heated  fragments  were  thrown  off  and  they,  by 


354  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

the  law  of  gravitation,  followed  various  courses  through 
the  great  infinite  vacuum.  The  heat  generated  within 
them  was  perhaps  sufficiently  great  to  crystallize  the  car- 
bon which  was  contained  within  their  mass,  and  thus 
diamonds  were  formed.  Many  ycc^rs  later  one  of  the  frag- 
ments in  question  met  and  entered  our  system ;  came  in 
contact  with  the  earth's  atmosphere,  and  amid  frictional 
heat  and  deafening  detonations  it  fell  on  Empire  Island, 
after  an  exceedingly  eventful  career.     Two  castaways — " 

"You  need  not  go  any  further  with  your  story ;  I  un- 
derstand it  perfectly.  And  I  have  concluded,  Mr.  Ells- 
worth, that  modern  scientists  can  have  fertile  imagina- 
tions as  well  as  the  ancient  sages,"  said  Fred,  laughingly. 

"But,"  the  scientist  hastened  to  say,  "my  imaginary  pic- 
ture was  not  made  out  of  whole  cloth,  it  was  based  on 
scientific  principles  accumulated  by  generations  of  orig- 
inal and  laborious  research." 

After  this  episode  nothing  of  moment  occurred  on  Em- 
pire Island  for  many  weeks.  Mr.  Ellsworth  and  Fred 
worked  steadily,  and  when  the  month  of  October  came 
the  boat  had  assumed  a  very  ship-like  appearance,  for 
the  hull  looked  much  larger  on  the  beach  than  it  would 
when  on  the  water.  The  planking  had  all  been  put  on 
and  it  was  comparatively  well  done.  The  builders  con- 
sidered it  useless  to  spend  much  time  on  the  interior  fit- 
tings and  finish  of  their  craft,  but  great  care  was  used  in 
bracing,  so  she  would  be  able  to  withstand  rough  seas  and 
heavy  winds.  This  idea  was  kept  constantly  in  mind, 
and,  as  a  consequence,  the  boat  became  possessed  of  re- 
markable stability. 

One  fine  evening,  a  few  days  later,  the  castaways  sat  on 
the  veranda,  as  had  become  the  custom  after  the  labor  of 
the  day  was  done. 

"Fred,"  said  Mr.  Ellsworth,  after  silent  meditation, 
"this  is  the  month  of  October." 

"Certainly." 

"And  on  what  day  is  the  third  quartering  of  the  moon?" 


FREDERICK    YOU  NO.  355 

"If  you  mean  this  month,  the  third  quarter  of  the  moon 
comes  to-day." 

"I  thought  so,  and  to-morrow  morning  I  am  going  to 
arise  at  2,30  o'clock  so  as  to  be  out  on  the  reef  at  3 
o'clock.  If  I  mistake  not  a  strange  sight  may  be  seen 
there,  and  I  would  like  you  to  accompany  me." 

"I  fail  to  understand  why  you  are  so  precise  about  the 
moon,  time  and  location;  but,  however,  if  you  think  it 
will  be  worth  the  trouble  I  will  accompany  you." 

"We  may  be  disappointed;  what  I  have  in  mind  may 
not  occur  on  this  island,  but  I  think  it  will." 

The  next  morning  at  2.45  o'clock,  two  figures  emerged 
from  Cocoanut  Grove  Cabin  and  went  toward  Harlem 
Reef,  They  both  carried  lanterns,  and  one  carried  a  large 
earthenware  pot,  and  the  other  a  bundle  of  resinous 
sticks  for  torches.  The  lanterns  were  made  by  Mr.  Ells- 
worth, and  they  need  a  word  of  explanation,  for  the 
reader  may  think  it  strange  that  the  castaways  should  be 
the  possessors  of  such  luxuries. 

Mr.  Ellsworth  some  time  previous  had  constructed 
these  lanterns.  Among  the  cliffs  he  found  large  masses 
of  imbedded  muscovite  which  cleaved  easily  into  thin, 
transparent  laminae,  and  these  when  cut,  formed  an  ad- 
mirable substitute  for  glass.  He  fitted  these  plates  into 
neat  but  strong  wooden  frames,  and  lighted  them  by 
candles  which  he  made  from  a  combination  of  seal  fat 
and  palm  wax.  For  wicks  he  used  a  vegetable  fiber 
which  was  found  on  the  island  in  pods,  much  resembling 
cotton  in  growth.  An  abundance  of  these  candles  had 
been  made  at  odd  times,  and  they  were  used  to  light  the 
cabin  or  for  any  purpose  deemed  expedient. 

When  the  castaways  got  out  near  the  extremity  of 
Harlem  Reef  they  found  the  tide  low  and  the  sea  calm. 
Mr.  Ellsworth  lighted  some  torches  and  by  their  light  the 
water  was  made  plainly  visible,  and  what  a  sight  met  their 
gaze!  The  water  around  the  reef  was  a  writhing,  squirm- 
ing mass  of  worms,  which  were  about  one-eighth  of  an 


356  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

inch  in  diameter  and  from  nine  to  eighteen  inches  in 
length.  The  scientist  soon  filled  the  earthern  pot  with 
them,  but  Fred  looked  on  without  molesting  the  repulsive 
annelides. 

"Fred,  these  are  the  palolo  of  Polynesia;  they  are 
much  sought  after  by  the  natives  for  food,  but  the  strange 
fact  of  the  case  is  that  these  worms  only  come  on  two 
mornings  in  the  year,  and  at  about  this  time.  When  the 
sun  rises  their  end  will  be  near,  for  they  will  break  into 
pieces  and  by  9  o'clock  they  will  all  be  dead.  The  liber- 
ated ova,  however,  will  produce  young,  but  they  must 
meet  the  same  fate  a  year  hence  that  their  parents  will 
meet  this  morning." 

"This  is  a  very  strange  thing/'  said  Fred.  "But  tell 
me,  pray,  what  the  moon  has  to  do  with  their  appearance 
at  certain  times." 

"The  fact  that  these  worms  appear  at  about  3  o'clock 
on  the  morning  in  October  which  follows  the  third  quar- 
tering of  the  moon  has  been  well  established.     And  also 
that  they  again  appear,  although  in  smaller  numbers,  at 
the  same  time  each  November.  They  appear  on  these  two 
mornings  only,  each  year,  and  invariably  around  coral 
reefs  and  in  certain  localities.     This  explains  why  I  was 
not  sure  that  we  would  find  them  here  this  morning. 
The  parents,  you  will  understand,  are  broken  up  and  de- 
stroyed to  propagate  their  kind,  and  the  eggs  sink  and 
are  hatched  below  the  surface  of  the  sea.     The  worms  are 
said  to  keep  true  lunar  time,  so  that  they  appear  just  on 
the  hour  when  custom  has  made  them  due.    It  probably 
takes  about  twelve  months  for  them  to  reach  maturity, 
when  the  moon  exerts  some  occult  magnetic  power  on 
them  that  arouses  them  to  action.     At  any  rate,  their 
regularity  of  appearance  in  Samoa  is  so  well  known  that 
the  spring  season  is  called  'vaepalolo'  or  the  time  of 
palolo." 

"There  are  many  strange  things  in  nature,  Mr.  Ells- 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  357 

worth,  but  these  worms  truly  lead  a  life  that  is  remarkable 
beyond  compare." 

As  the  sun  came  up  the  worms  began  to  break  into 

sections  and  the  incoming  tide  seemed  to  hasten  the  pro- 

.cess  of  destruction,  so  that  when  the  solar  orb  got  three 

hours  high  not  a  whole  palolo  could  be  found  around 

Harlem  Reef. 

The  worms  taken  to  the  cabin  were  found  to  be  sweet 
and  palatable,  but  they  were  not  reHshed;  they  were  too 
suggestive  of  serpentine  forms. 


358  FREDERICK    YOUNQ. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

CRUSHED  HOPES. 

By  the  middle  of  December  the  castaways'  boat  was 
really  nearing  completion.  After  bracing  to  their  entire 
satisfaction,  the  deck  timbers  were  put  in  and  she  was 
completely  decked  over  excepting  a  small  cockpit  aft, 
where  was  an  entrance  to  the  rough,  unfitted  interior. 
This  companion-way  was  so  arranged  that  it  could  be 
hermetically  closed,  and  after  calking  the  boat,  deck  and 
all  were  expected  to  be  water-tight.  It  was  designed  so 
that  if  a  heavy  sea  broke  over  her  bow  none  of  the  water 
could  penetrate  the  interior,  and  even  the  cockpit  had 
been  protected  by  high  and  substantial  wash-boards. 

It  will  be  useless  to  burden  the  reader  with  weary  de- 
tails, so  we  will  not  follow  the  castaways  in  the  daily  pro- 
gression of  their  prodigious  undertaking.  They  worked 
earnestly  and  faithfully  day  after  aay,  and  when  Saturday 
night,  January  13,  1883,  came,  the  woodwork  of  the  hull, 
the  mast  and  the  sails  had  been  completed.  These  sails 
had  been  woven  or  plaited  laboriously  by  hand  from 
strips  of  palm  leaves,  and  it  was  thought  that  they  would 
give  excellent  service. 

The  rope,  a  goodly  quantity  of  which  had  been  pre- 
pared, was  made  of  a  species  of  wild  flax  which  was  found 
quite  plentifully  on  Empire  Island.  This  rope  was  very 
pliable  and  exceedingly  tough  and  strong.  They  had  re- 
moved several  pieces  of  iron  and  steel  from  the  mast, 
which  after  heating  and  hammering  was  to  be  used  on  the 
boat,  and  it  would  all  be  in  place  in  a  few  days,  they  then 
thought.  It  is  perhaps  superfluous  to  say  that  the  casta- 
ways, thus  far,  were  delighted  with  their  work  and  their 
success,  and  what  would  be  the  termination  of  their 


FREDERICK    YOUNQ.  359 

labors  was  the  almost  constant  topic  of  their  conversa- 
tion. 

"Well,  Fred,  what  shall  we  name  our  boat?"  Mr.  Ells- 
worth asked  that  night  after  supper. 

Fred  did  not  reply  at  once.  His  sweetheart's  name — 
"Marion" — immediately  came  into  his  mind,  she  of  whom 
he  had  thought  and  even  dreamed  of  so  much  since  he  had 
been  confined  on  this  soUtary  and  isolated  island  "But, 
no,"  he  thought,  "he  must  not  put  her  name  forward,  for 
did  not  his  companion  share  in  this  enterprise  as  much 
as  himself,  and  would  it  not  be  selfish  on  his  part  to 
gratify  his  own  sentimentality  in  this  way?  Certainly  it 
would,"  and  he  tried  to  evolve  a  more  suitable  name — 
one  that  would  be  mutually  applicable. 

"Tfte  Hope,  Mr.  Ellsworth,  how  does  that  sound?"  he 
at  last  ventured  to  say. 

"That  will  do  nicely,  Fred.  No  doubt  we  might  think 
of  many  more  euphonious  titles,  but  The  Hope  admirably 
expresses  the  faith  which  we  put  in  our  boat." 

"Now  that  matter  is  disposed  of  the  next  question 
which  occurs  to  me  is,  when  shall  we  launch  The  Hope?" 

"We  ought  to  have  her  ready  for  sea  by  the  last  of  this 
month,  and  after  we  have  tested  her  tightness  and  sailing 
qualities  around  the  island  we  can,  I  think,  get  ready  to 
leave  our  exile  by  the  loth  of  next  month." 

"God  grant  that  we  may !"  fervently  said  Fred. 

"Fred,"  Mr.  Ellsworth  said  a  few  minutes  later,  "you 
have  undoubtedly  noticed  that  I  have  spent  considerable 
time  away  from  the  boat-yard  lately?" 

"I  have,  and  also  that  your  mind  seemed  to  be  much 
occupied  of  late." 

"I  will  now  explain  what  I  have  done,"  said  the  sci- 
entist, bringing  out  a  lantern,  a  box  and  some  minerals 
from  his  collection.  "Here  are  three  mineral  substances 
which  occur  on  our  island,  and  they  are  all  magnetite,  but 
still  they  differ  materially.  This  greenish  fragment  is 
composed  principally  of  chlorite  schist,  but  those  minute 


360  FBEVEHICK   YOVNQ. 

points  which  emit  reflected  light  are  magnetite  crystals. 
This  specimen,  which  resembles  anthracite  coal,  is  mainly 
made  up  of  iron,  but  it  has  the  peculiar  property  of  mag- 
netite. This  third  and  last  mineral  is  the  most  important 
of  the  three,  it  is  the  true  lodestone  and  it  possesses  an 
exceedingly  strong  degree  of  polarity.  You  will  notice 
that  it  resembles  iron,  having  a  distinct  metallic  luster, 
and  that  the  oxide  in  the  form  of  dust  clings  to  the  min- 
eral in  spine-like  protuberances.  This  is  caused  by  the 
strange  power  which  is  contained  in  the  substance,  which 
is  analogous  to  that  power  displayed  by  the  common 
magnet.  Lodestone  was  called  magnes  by  Pliny,  from 
the  name  of  the  country,  Magnesia,  where  it  was  found; 
and  hence  it  gave  the  terms  magnet  and  magnetism  to 
science.  Now,  to  come  to  the  point,  when  I  discovered 
these  specimens  of  magnetite  I  conceived  the  idea  of 
using  the  unknown;  the  invisible  force  which  they  con- 
tained within  their  mass,  for  promoting  our  undertaking 
to  a  successful  termination. 

"At  the  cliffs  I  hammered  out  and  tempered  a  well  bal- 
anced needle  and  an  axle  for  it,  the  latter  being  pointed 
at  either  end.  When  this  needle  was  finished  I  rubbed  it 
with  lodestone  until  it  became  strongly  magnetized,  when 
I  found  that  I  had  an  excellent  compass  needle,  but  it  was 
unmounted.  I  next  made  a  circular  card,  which  is  really 
a  piece  of  thin,  light  wood  covered  with  paper  from  one 
of  my  note-books.  This  card  is  divided  into  thirty-two 
parts,  the  four  cardinal  points  being  made  more  promi- 
nent than  their  divisions  and  subdivisions,  while  the 
positive  or  north  pole  is  indicated  by  the  conventional 
iieur  de  lis.  After  I  attached  the  needle  to  the  card  I 
mounted  the  axle  in  a  light  ring  of  hard  wood,  which  has 
a  small  stone  weight  at  the  bottom  to  keep  the  axle  in  the 
proper  perpendicular  position.  This  ring  I  mounted 
within  a  slightly  larger  ring,  w^hich,  in  turn,  I  hung  on 
pointed  bearings  within  my  binnacle  or  compass-box. 
The  only  iron  or  steel  that  I  used  was  the  needle  and 


FREDERICK   70UNQ.  3G1 

axle,  and  all  the  bearings  are  of  the  best  and  hardest 
stalactite  I  could  find  in  the  crystal  cavern  on  Sylvan 
Lake. 

"I  worked  long  and  patiently,  Fred,  and  my  labor  was 
well  rewarded.  We  can  put  to  sea  when  we  are  ready, 
with  confidence  that  The  Hope  can  be  guided  with  some 
degree  of  intelligence,  instead  of  in  an  irregular  manner; 
we  will  neither  be  deterred  by  clouds  nor  fog,  the  sun  will 
not  then  be  our  guide;  we  will  watch  the  compass  needle, 
which  I  will  warrant  the  waves  cannot  disturb,  and  by  its 
aid  The  Hope,  our  hope,  shall  be  guided  to  a  harbor  of 
safety.  There,  my  friend,  is  the  fruit  of  my  secret  labor," 
and  the  scientist  handed  his  young  companion  the  box 
which  was  previously  mentioned. 

Fred  took  and  carefully  examined  the  compass.  The 
box  was  six  inches  square  and  six  inches  deep,  the  cor- 
ners were  dovetailed  together,  the  cover  was  neatly  fitted 
and  the  whole  bore  a  good  polish.  The  needle  was  three 
inches  long,  and  it  pointed  invariably  to  the  north  pole 
of  the  earth.  Fred  inclined  the  box  in  all  directions,  but 
the  magnetic  point  maintained  its  horizontal  position, and 
persistently  pointed  in  a  direction  which  lay  intermediate 
between  the  boat-yard  and  Harlem  Reef,  and  which  the 
castaways,  by  the  sun,  had  long  ago  determined  as  being 
north. 

"This  instrument  will  be  a  valuable  acqusition  to  our 
limited  means,  and  I  congratulate  you  for  your  success 
in  making  it,  and  I  thank  you  also,  for  you  have  ren- 
dered me  a  great  service  as  well  as  yourself.  This  com- 
pass may  be  the  means  of  our  returning  to  those  whom 
we  have  longed  to  see  for  nearly  two  years." 

"Fred,"  tlie  scientist  said'  after  a  long  pause,  "you  may 
think  I  am  what  laymen  call  a  'scientific  crank,'  but  I  can- 
not help  liking  to  think,  talk  and  speculate  on  the  won- 
ders of  nature." 

"And  I  like  to  hear  you;  what  condition  would  the 
world  be  in  to-day  if  there  had  been  no  men  gifted  with 


362  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

the  faculty  of  original  research?  Why,  Mr.  Ellsworth,  if 
it  had  been  thus,  I  verily  believe  that  our  civilization  of 
to-day  would  have  been  no  further  advanced  than  that 
of  the  Scythians  of  antiquity.  But  those  who  laugh, 
jeer  and  ignore  the  thoughtful  mind,  are  not  the  ones  who 
leave  an  original  thought,  or  an  invention  of  any  impor- 
tance for  their  posterity,  and  that  is  the  reason  that  civil- 
ization would  never  have  progressed  if  it  had  been  in  their 
keeping." 

"True,  Fred,  thought  is  the  mother  of  invention  and 
research  is  the  only  medium  by  which  intrinsic  knowl- 
edge can  be  accumulated." 

"Your  compass,  for  instance,  would  never  have  come 
into  existence  if  careful  thought  had  not  invented  the 
means  for  a  careful  arrangement  of  the  component  parts. 
Give  me  a  thoughtful  mind  every  time,"  said  Fred. 

"That  reminds  me,"  said  Mr.  Ellsworth,  "of  a  matter 
of  which  I  have  thought  much  of  late.  It  is  a  new  idea, 
so  far  as  I  know,  and  it  concerns  those  mighty  and  occult 
forces  which  collectively  are  termed  magnetism.  It  has 
often  occurred  to  me  that  there  must  be  a  great  power 
analagous  to  animal  and  terrestrial  magnetism  which 
scientists  in  general  overlook.  In  fact,  this  power  is 
classed  under  the  same  head,  but  there  must,  I  think,  be 
two  or  more  forces  which  are  radically  different,  but  are 
now  erroneously  classed  as  one.  From  Newton's  great 
theory  of  gravitation  may  be  adduced  the  fact  that  our 
sun  as  the  center  of  our  so-called  solar  system  is,  meta- 
phorically speaking,  an  immense  magnet  holding  the 
planets  in  their  respective  orbits  by  its  invisible  but  no 
less  potential  power.  Whether  this  is  the  same  power 
which  holds  the  minute  molecules  of  the  earth  together 
and  draws  everything  toward  its  center  or  not,  I  cannot 
positively  say,  but  I  am  incHned  to  think  it  is.  However, 
when  we  come  to  compare  the  laws  of  magnetic  iron  with 
the  aforementioned  power  or  powers  we  find  a  discrep- 
ancy in  their  action  which  I  have  been  unable,  thus  far, 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  363 

to  eradicate.  It  has  been  demonstrated  that  the  mag- 
netism which  affects  the  mariner's  needle  is  in  excess  at 
the  poles  of  the  earth.  In  other  words,  this  power  goes 
to  the  extremities  of  the  body  in  which  it  is  contained, 
thus  forming  the  positive  and  the  negative  poles,  as  it 
does  in  the  common  bar,  or  horseshoe  magnets.  If  this 
power  were  identical  with  the  energy  which  attracts  the 
elements,  and  their  various  combinations,  toward  the 
earth's  center,  would  not  the  compass  needle  or  the  arti- 
ficial magnet  draw  gold,  silver  and  other  metals  having 
a  greater  specific  gravity  than  iron,  to  it  with  greater 
force  than  those  having  a  lesser  compactness  of  atoms 
and  molecules?  It  surely  seems  so  to  me,  and  yet  the 
magnetism  which  we  are  the  most  familiar  with  is  not 
attracted  by  gold  and  numerous  other  substances,  or 
rather  the  metals  themselves  are  not  attracted,  while  they 
are  acted  on  by  the  terrestrial  magnetism  with  greater 
force  than  iron  and  steel. 

"To  make  it  plain  I  will  use  a  simple  illustration.  For 
example,  take  a  cube  of  gold,  one  of  lead,  one  of  alumi- 
num, and  one  of  cork,  and  all  of  the  same  size.  Weigh 
these  separately  on  a  delicately  adjusted  scale  and  we  will 
find  that  the  gold  is  the  heaviest  and  that  they  decrease  in 
weight  in  just  the  order  I  first  named  them.  Now,  these 
weights  simply  illustrate  the  power  that  terrestrial  mag- 
netism displays  in  drawing  all  substances  toward  the 
earth's  center.  As  we  put  these  cubes  on  the  scale  we 
will  hold  a  powerful  magnet  over  each  one,  and  we  will 
notice  that  the  weight  is  exactly  the  same  when  the  mag- 
net is  near  the  metal  as  it  was  before  the  magnet  was 
used. 

"Next  we  will  put  a  cube  of  iron  on  the  balance,  and 
if  it  is  the  same  size  as  the  other  metals,  it  weight,  or  the 
magnetic  force  which  the  terrestrial  magnetism  exerts  on 
the  iron  cube,  will  place  its  specific  gravity  between 
aluminum  and  lead.  If  we  hold  the  artificial  magnet  over 
this  iron  cube  while  it  is  on  the  scale,  we  will  notice  that 


364  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

it  weighs  less  than  it  did  when  the  magnet  was  absent. 
The  difference  in  weight  will  depend,  of  course,  on  the 
power  of  the  magnet  used.  To  sum  up,  we  have  found 
that  the  five  cubes  are  attracted  toward  the  center  of  the 
earth  by  terrestrial  magnetism,  but  only  one  is  acted  upon 
by  the  artificial  magnet;  and  this  one,  which  is  iron,  has 
neither  the  least  nor  the  greatest  specific  gravity. 

"Taking  these  facts  into  consideration,  how  can  we  do 
otherwise  than  conclude  that  the  power  which  acted  on 
all  five  cubes  was  radically  different  from  the  force  which 
acted  on  iron  only?  So  I  claim  there  are,  at  least,  three 
kinds  of  magnetism,  namely:  terrestrial,  which  really 
seems  to  be  universal;  animal,  which  exists  in  organic 
forms;  and  lastly,  that  which  as  yet  has  no  distinctive 
name,  but  exerts  its  occult  power  on  a  limited  number 
of  substances,  including  iron,  cobalt  and  nickel." 

"Mr.  Ellsworth,  you  have  called  my  attention  to  what 
seems  to  be  a  great  truth,  of  which  I  have  never  thought 
or  heard  before.  I  have  often  watched  magnetic  experi- 
ments at  the  college  laboratory  with  wonder,  such  as  we 
always  experience  when  gazing  on  that  which  is  beyond 
our  comprehension,  but  I  have  never  seen  any  tests  that 
would  indicate  that  there  are  more  than  two  natural 
forces  which  come  under  the  head  of  magnetism." 

"If  I  ever  get  home,  I  intend  to  investigate  this  matter 
thoroughly,  and  if  my  hypothesis  can  be  substantially  cor- 
roborated, I  shall  publish  a  synopsis  of  my  ideas,"  the 
scientist  thoughtfully  returned. 

The  next  day  was  Sunday,  and  it  was  spent  in  much 
needed  rest.  After  dinner,  however,  the  casta\\^ys  went 
out  for  a  stroll.  They  finally  came  to  the  great  cHft's 
under  which  the  boat  was  being  built,  and  as  the  promon- 
tory was  covered  with  scattering  trees,  they  thought  it 
would  be  a  pleasant  place  to  rest.  By  mutual  consent  the 
two  men  ascended  the  height  and  walked  across  the  pla- 
teau, until  they  cam.e  to  that  part  next  to  the  beach  which 
overhung  the  boat-building  yard. 


FREDERICK    YOUNQ.  365 

Some  soil  had  collected  on  the  top  of  this  rocky  bluff 
and  it  was  more  or  less  covered  with  vegetation.  A  great 
many  of  the  trees  had  gained  a  foothold  in  the  crevices, 
and  they  had  attained  quite  a  considerable  size. 

About  thirty  feet  from  the  edge  of  the  precipice  there 
was  a  row  of  trees  across  the  plateau,  which  was  not  over 
one  hundred  feet  wide  at  that  point.  Fred  first  called  his 
companion's  attention  to  this  peculiarity,  which,  in  its 
symmetry  resembled  the  handiwork  of  man.  Investiga- 
tion, however,  showed  that  there  was  a  crack  or  crevice 
extending  the  entire  breadth  of  the  promontory,  and  in 
this  crack  vegetable  mold  had  collected  and  the  trees  had 
sprouted  and  thrived,  so  their  noticeable  geometric  posi- 
tion was  explained.  They  simply  grew  in  the  crevice 
from  one  end  to  the  other. 

The  castaways  examined  the  crack  and  found  it  over 
one  foot  wide  in  places,  and  it  was  nearly  concealed  by 
ferns  and  other  cryptogramic  plants. 

"These  trees,"  remarked  the  scientist,  "in  growing,  evi- 
dently keep  crowding  the  rock  apart,  and  sometime  they 
may  cause  the  part  of  the  cliflf  on  which  we  are  now 
standing  to  break  entirely  off  and  fall  to  the  beach  below. 
This  mass  contains  hundreds  if  not  thousands  of  tons  of 
rock.  It  would  make  an  appalling  crash.  All  is,  I  hope 
it  will  not  occur  while  we  or  our  work  are  under  it." 

"I  do  not  think  we  need  worry  about  that,  for  one 
would  judge,  by  the  weather-beaten  appearance  of  the 
fracture,  that  it  has  been  in  its  present  condition  for  many 
decades,  and  it  may  not  grow  any  worse  for  years  to 
come,"  said  Fred. 

"That  is  so,  and  then  I  suppose  that  there  are  fifty  or 
seventy-five  feet  of  solid  rock  below  the  crack,  but  you 
know  that  a  fracture  will  almost  always  encroach  on  a 
solid  interior,  and  especially  if  there  is  any  strain  to  aug- 
ment its  action  as  there  is  here." 

"Well,  it  will  not  be  long  before  we  will  vacate  our 


366  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

work-yard,  and  I  apprehend  no  danger  from  the  cliff  while 
we  are  to  be  there,"  returned  Fred. 

"Nor  I  either,  unless  something  unforeseen  occurs  to 
hasten  such  a  catastrophe  as  we  have  imagined." 

After  this  conversation  the  companions  in  misfortune 
sauntered  to  the  extreme  edge  of  the  bluff  and  seated 
themselves  comfortably  on  the  verdant  herbage,  and  in 
the  shade  of  a  stunted  tree.  The  view  from  this  point  was 
truly  beautiful.  Coral  Bay,  partially  inclosed  by  Harlem 
Reef,  seemed  to  be  just  below  the  observers.  Its  sandy 
shores  were  fringed  with  lofty  palms,  which  were  swaying 
very  gently  in  the  light  breeze.  To  the  southeast  the 
dark-blue  mountains  seemed  to  penetrate  the  dome  of 
azure  above,  which  was  sparsely  dotted  with  fleecy  white 
cloudlets  floating  lazily  along.  To  the  northwest  the 
calm  Pacific  extended  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  a 
sheet  of  ultramarine  blue  unbroken  by  boat  or  sail,  the 
only  thmg  of  life  visible  being  the  swallow-like  gulls  and 
terns,  which  were  always  skimming  over  and  around 
Empire  Island.  Overhead  sweet  songsters  caroled  in- 
cessantly, and  even  the  guttural  utterances  of  the  bril- 
liantly colored  parrakeets  did  not  sound  inharmonious, 
while  the  cooing  of  the  doves  really  seemed  consistent 
with  the  peaceful  surroundings. 

The  antics  of  the  birds  overhead  were  a  source  of  con- 
stant amusement  to  the  castaways. 

'Tt  is  wonderful,"  thoughtfully  said  Fred,  "how  much 
intelligence  is  displayed  by  birds  in  migrating,  although 
it  is  really,  I  suppose,  an  instinct  which  cannot  be  fath- 
omed.    How  do  you  account  for  it,  Mr.  Ellsworth?" 

"I  consider  the  migration  of  birds  to  be  governed  by 
knowledge  and  not  instinct,  as  a  great  many  people  be- 
lieve. My  reason  is  this:  Birds  know  that  their  heat 
and  light  are  derived  from  the  sun ;  they  know  that  when 
the  sun  sets  the  day  ends,  and  when  it  again  appears 
warmth  and  light  return.  Consequently,  when  after  the 
2ist  of  June,  in  the  northern  hemisphere,  the  orb  of  day 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  367 

seems  to  gradually  recede  to  the  south,  and  later  in  the 
season  the  heat  becomes  insufficient  for  the  birds  of  pas- 
sage, they  move  in  the  direction  of  the  retreating  body, 
until  a  zon€  of  sufficient  warmth  is  reached  to  satisfy  their 
bodily  comfort.  The  different  times  of  departure  for  the 
south,  or  vice  versa,  depend  on  the  constitution  of  the 
species.  Again,  in  the  spring,  when  the  heat  becomes  too 
great,  the  migrating  birds  move  away  from  the  source 
of  high  temperature  until  a  clime  congenial  to  them  physi- 
cally is  reached,  where  they  remain  until  a  change  of  sea- 
son compels  them  to  again  take  up  the  line  of  march." 

"If  that  theory  is  correct  the  so-called  migratory  in- 
stinct of  birds  is  really  knowledge  derived  from  individual 
observation  and  reason,"  Fred  said. 

"Exactly,  and  the  younger  birds  are  perhaps  aided  by 
the  knowledge  of  their  elders,  who  have  made  the  jour- 
ney in  previous  years." 

"Then  you  think  this  knowledge  is  perpetuated  from 
generation  to  generation,  as  facts  and  fancies  are  among 
men?"  inquired  Fred. 

"Not  exactly  the  same  way.  The  experienced  birds 
lead  or  guide  their  offsprings  to  their  winter  home  in  lieu 
of  transnntting  the  knowledge  verbally.  You  will  un- 
derstan  that  this  intelligence  gained  by  experience  is  not 
the  cause  of  the  ebb  and  flow  of  the  birds,  for,  I  think,  if 
midsummer  could  be  suspended,  so  to  speak,  and  con- 
tinue for  an  indefinite  period,  that  the  migratory  birds 
would  frequent  their  summer  haunts  as  long  as  the  sus- 
pension lasted,"  explained  the  scientist. 

"I  understand,  and  it  seems  very  probable  that  you 
are  correct." 

"It  was  not  a  great  many  years  ago,"  continued  t!he  sci- 
entist, "when  it  was  thought  that  swallows  and  several 
other  species  that  periodically  disappeared  hibernated 
in  mud  or  other  equally  absurd  places.  I  remember 
seeing  a  clipping  from  an  old  newspaper  which  told  of 
the  submersion  of  swallows  as  being  witnessed  by  many 


368  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

people.  It  commenced  about  5,30  p.  m.  on  a  certain 
day  and  year,  which  I  cannot  now  recollect,  and  lasted 
until  sunset.  This  shows  how  weak-minded  our  race  is 
and  to  what  absurd  notions  they  will  adhere.  It  has 
been  thus  from  the  beginning,  and  I  suppose  it  will  con- 
tinue until  the  end.  As  we  show  up  the  glaring  faults  and 
mistakes  of  our  ancestors,  so  will  our  posterity  reveal 
and  repudiate  our  conclusions,  which  have  been  wrongly 
drawn." 

"That  reminds  me,"  said  Fred,  "of  how  time  smooths 
off  monstrosities  and  how  many  faults  are  overlooked  if 
only  time  enough  intervenes  between  the  occurrence  and 
the  judgment.  I  especially  refer  to  the  so-called  heroes 
of  antiquity." 

"Which  is  your  favorite  of  the  vast  number  who  em- 
bellish the  annals  of  the  past?"  Mr.  Ellsworth  smilingly 
asked. 

"The  ignorant  man  who  listened  to  the  heathenish  ora- 
cles at  Susa,  and  later  endeavored  to  punish  the  Helles- 
pont by  giving  it  300  lashes,  and  to  Chain  it  by  casting 
golden  fetters  into  its  depths,  is  not  my  favorite  hero. 
No,  not  even  if  he  were  called  Xerxes  the  Great.  Neither 
is  the  man  who  followed  him  in  supremacy  of  empire, 
but  died  at  an  early  age  by  imbibing  once  too  often  from 
the  Hercules  Cup. 

"No,  Alexander  the  Great  is  not  my  favorite  among 
the  ancient  men  of  note,  nor  the  wiley  Themistocles 
either,  although  Greece  owed  him  some  honor,  for  he 
undoubtedly  saved  the  empire  from  the  Medo-Persians. 
But  the  man  who  was  taught  in  the  Spartan  schools,  and 
who  obeyed  the  laws  as  laid  down  at  Lacedaemonian, 
and  who  gave  his  life  at  Thermopylae,  rather  than  to 
retreat  when  his  country's  independence  was  at  stake, 
is  my  hero.  Neither  Belshazzer,  Cyrus,  Xerxes,  Them- 
istocles, Alexander,  the  Ceasars,  nor  Bonaparte,  in  my 
estimation,  is  to  be  compared  with  Leonidas,  the  brave 
general  who  gave  his  life  in  the  defence  of  his  country." 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  369 

"You  are  rig-ht,  Fred,  and  I  coincide  with  you  in  every 
particular.  Those  men  around  whom  modem  scholars 
have  tlirown  a  halo  of  sentimentality,  are  too  much 
lauded.  Why,  if  they  had  lived  in  more  recent  times  and 
carried  on  their  cruel  and  fiendish  actions  as  they  did 
2,200  or  more  years  ago,  they  would  have  been  called 
brutes  instead  of  heroes." 

"What  silly  ideas  even  the  most  learned  of  those  times 
entertained,"  said  Fred.  "They  had  a  god  or  goddess  for 
nearly  every  thing;  the  oracles  were  consulted  before 
an  important  undertaking-  was  begun,  and  it  made  a 
great  deal  of  difference  whether  the  verdict  portended 
a  disastrous  or  a  propitious  culmination.  And,  then,  in 
those  days  many  events  wherein  the  forces  of  nature 
came  to  the  aid  of  one  side  or  the  other  of  the  conflicting 
parties  are  recorded.  For  instance,  you  remember  when 
the  Barbarians  were  marching  toward  the  Delphian 
Temple,  how  the  god  therein  answered  that  he  was  able 
to  take  care  of  his  own,  and  thereupon  he  was  deserted, 
and  when  the  Persians  came  near  they  were  repelled  by 
the  rain,  thunder  and  lightning  from  heaven,  while  huge 
masses  of  rock  rolled  down  on  them  from  Parnassus 
and  crushed  many  of  the  invaders,  and  also  how  two 
giant  warriors  participated  in  the  defeat,  and  the  Del- 
phians  recognized  the  warriors  in  question  as  their  do- 
mestic heroes,  Phylacus  and  Autonous." 

"Fred,  the  annals  of  the  past,  back  to  pre-historic 
epochs,  teem  with  those  foolish  myths,  and  how  did  they 
all  originate?  Certainly,  to  use  a  modern  saying,  the 
majority  of  them  must  of  have  been  made  up  out  of 
whole  cloth,  and  what  is  more  astonishing,  many  of  these 
fallacies,  which  cannot  be  proved  or  disproved,  still  hold 
sway  over  certain  persons  who  are  susceptible  to  super- 
stitious and  extravagant  ideas." 

Night  was  fast  approaching,  so  the  castaways  descend- 
ed to  the  beaoh  and  returned  to  Cocoanut  Grove  Cabin. 


370  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

On  the  morrow  the  work  for  dehverance  from  solitude 
was  to  be  resumed. 

The  days  slipped  by  one  after  another,  and  it  at  last 
beg-an  to  look  as  if  Mr,  Ellsworth's  prediction  regarding 
the  time  of  the  completion  of  The  Hope  would  be  realized. 
That  is,  by  the  last  of  the  month  of  January,  for  when 
January  2'^,  1883,  came,  the  boat  was  ready  to  launch. 
But  about  this  time  a  heavy  southeast  wind  set  in  and 
caused  an  exceedingly  turbulent  sea,  which  dissuaded 
the  castaways  from  consigning  her  to  the  mercy  of  the 
billows. 

Mr.  Ellsworth  suggested  that  they  wait  until  the  ocean 
had  again  become  pacific,  for  a  few  days'  delay  would 
not  matter  much  after  waiting  so  long. 

Meanwhile  the  wind  increased  in  force,  the  sky  be- 
came overcast  with  murky  clouds,  and  on  the  night  of 
January  29th,  which  was  Monday,  the  storm  was  at  its 
height. 

The  two  men  sat  in  their  rude  house  during  the  even- 
ing, which  was  inky-black  without.  The  structure  was 
well  sheltered  and  it  protected  the  inmates  from  the 
fierceness  of  the  storm.  It  made  their  minds  revert  to 
the  night  they  first  landed  on  Empire  Island,  but  this 
storm  was  much  worse  than  the  one  of  nearly  two  years 
previous.  The  wind  whistled  and  shrieked  through  the 
palms  of  Cocoanut  Grove;  the  massive  trunks  twisted 
and  groaned  under  the  violent  strain;  the  rain,  in  big 
drops,  rattled  and  pattered  upon  the  roof  and  sides  of  the 
house;  the  great  waves  in  dashing  over  Harlem  Reef 
sounded  like  distant  thunder,  and  the  roaring  flames  in 
the  fire-place,  to  which  new  fagots  were  almost  con- 
stantly added,  did  not  decrease  the  wildness  of  the  scene 
or  the  surroundings.  It  was  a  terrible  night,  and  the 
castaways  felt  thankful  that  their  boat,  which  repre- 
sented months  of  incessant  labor,  was  not  afloat  and  at 
the  mercy  of  the  elements.     It  was  fortunately  up  high 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  371 

and  dry,  beyond  the  reach  of  Neptune  and  in  the  lee  of 
the  storm. 

The  raging  gale  prevented  much  conversation  be- 
tween the  castaways;  its  very  fierceness  was  too  im- 
pressive; they  listened  and  thought.  How  the  cabin 
vibrated,  and  how  the  wind  whistled,  screamed  and 
shrieked  without!  Their  abode,  too,  was  on  a  sheltered 
shore.  Suppose  they  had  chosen  MetropoHtan  Hill  for 
a  site,  as  they  had  at  one  time  thought  of  doing?  The 
view  from  that  point  would  have  been  fine,  but  this  gale 
would  have  surely  caused  a  direful  catastrophe.  Its 
force  was  amply  sufficient  to  carry  Cocoanut  Grove 
Cabin  half-way  across  Coral  Bay,  and  if  the  cabin  had 
been  on  the  hill,  on  this  awe-inspiring  night,  a  calamity 
would  have  surely  occurred. 

The  two  unfortunate  men  retired  to  their  beds  at  9 
o'clock,  as  was  their  wont,  but  sleep  was  out  of  the  ques- 
tion. However,  it  is  cozy  and  comfortable  for  one  to 
be  warm  and  protected,  and  to  lie  and  listen  to  the  roar- 
ing elements,  when  one  knows  that  they  cannot  do  him 
harm,  and  the  castaways  at  Cocoanut  Grove  Cabin  ex- 
perienced these  very  feelings  on  the  eventful  night  under 
consideration. 

People  who  live  among  the  tree-covered  hills  and  val- 
leys of  the  continents  cannot  realize  what  fierce  storms 
sweep  over  the  broad  expanse  of  the  ocean  surfaces. 
On  the  larger  bodies  of  land,  severe  storms  have  their 
air  currents  broken  by  forests  and  by  the  undulating 
character  of  the  country,  and  in  civilized  sections  the 
inhabitants  are  often  prepared  for  severe  atmospheric 
disturbances  by  the  weather  prognosticators,  who  have 
stations  at  various  advantageous  points.  An  unpro- 
tected island,  on  the  other  hand,  is  hundreds  or  thous- 
ands of  miles  from  a  continent.  A  storm  may  sweep  with 
great  violence  over  the  broad  unbroken  surface  of  water, 
and  dash  on  to  the  first  obstacle,  in  the  shape  of  land,  that 
it  meets  with  inconceivable  fury.     The  islander  has  no 


372  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

knowledge  of  the  approaching  gale,  until  he  detects  the 
storm  on  the  horizon,  when  it  is  soon  upon  him.  Many 
such  sudden  gales  had  visited  Empire  Island,  but  none 
were  to  be  compared  with  the  one  in  question. 

As  Fred  rechned  in  the  darkness  he  let  his  thoughts 
wander  to  his  far  away  home,  and  he  thought  of  his  loved 
ones  there.  It  did  not  seem  so  sad  to  think  of  home 
now,  for  The  Hope  inspired  encouraging  thoughts.  It 
seemed  to  Fred  that  he  was  about  to  go  to  his  native 
city  again,  and  he  unconsciously  built  many  castles  in 
the  air,  during  the  raging  of  the  gale,  that  were  balm  to 
the  mind  even  if  they  were  never  to  be  realized. 

Synchronism  of  thought  is  not  uncommon,  and  on  this 
wild  night  it  so  happened  that  Mr.  Ellsworth  and  his 
companion  let  their  fhoug'hts  run  in  similar  channels. 
The  scientist  was  thinking  of  his  kind  and  affectionate 
wife  whom  he  had  not  seen  for  so  many  years.  "She 
must  think  him  dead  now.  Had  she  mourned  for  him 
much?"  he  thought.  "Yes,  of  course  she  had,"  he  con- 
cluded. "The  little  fair-haired  girl,  Bessie,  his  baby 
that  he  used  to  fondle  and  caress;  she  must  be  a  grown 
young  lady  now."  Oh,  how  he  longed  to  be  at  home 
once  more.  Silent  tears  stole  down  the  old  gentleman's 
cheeks,  but  a  sudden  recollection  cheered  his  heart. 
"The  Hope,  was  it  not  to  be  launched  when  the  sea  again 
became  quiet,  and  was  it  not  a  strong,  seaworthy  little 
craft  that  would  safely  carry  its  builders  to  civilization? 
Certainly,"  he  thought,  and  he  was  much  comforted 
thereby. 

Next,  Mr.  Ellsworth  thought  of  how  many  new  things 
he  could  write  when  he  got  home,  how  much  new  ma- 
terial he  had  become  possessed  of  during  his  sojourn  in 
these  southern  seas,  and  then — 

Here  his  thoughts  were  rudely  interrupted.  A  tre- 
mendous crash  was  heard  that  resounded  high  above 
the  storm  and  made  the  combined  tumult  of  the  wind, 
rain,  and  sea  insignificant  in  comparison.       It  really 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  373 

sounded  to  the  castaways  as  if  tons  of  dynamite  had  ex- 
ploded simultaneously,  and  as  if  the  force  thereof  had 
rent  the  island  in  twain,  and  the  land  trembled  as  if 
shaken  by  an  earthquake.  The  detonation  and  the  vibra- 
tions ceased  as  suddenly  as  they  had  occurred;  the  great 
force  had  surely  been  but  momentary.  The  two  men 
sat  up  in  bed  and  listened.  "What  could  it  have  been?" 
they  asked  each  other,  and  the  wind  seemed  to  howl  and 
shriek  more  fiercely  than  before. 

"Can  it  be  possible  that  Mt.  Ellsworth  has  burst  forth 
after  years  of  inactivity,  or  have  we  experienced  an 
earthquake  shock?"    breathlessly  asked  Fred. 

"My  friend,  I  am  afraid  it  was  not  either.  I  hope  and 
trust  it  was,  but  what  I  have  long  apprehended  I  fear  has 
at  last  occurred." 

"What  do  you  mean?  I  fail  to  understand  your  allu- 
sion." 

"You  remember  the  Sunday  we  sat  on  the  cliff?" 

"Yes." 

And  do  you  recollect  the  crack  in  the  precipice?" 

"My  God!  Do  you  think  that  cliff  has  fallen?  If  it 
has  our  boat  and  all  our  labor  are  irrecoverably  lost.  All 
our  hopes  are  irretrievably  shattered.  Oh,  it  cannot  be! 
It  would  be  too  cruel!"   said  Fred  in  an  agonized  tone. 

"Let  us  go  and  see;  we  cannot  rest  until  we  know  the 
worst,"  said  the  scientist. 

"No,  and  if  our  boat  is  ruined,  just  on  the  eve  of  suc- 
cess, I  do  not  know  when  I  shall  ever  rest  again,"  re- 
turned Fred  as  he  and  Mr.  Ellsworth  hurriedly  donned 
their  clothes,  wrapped  themselves  in  heavy  palm-leaf 
mats  and  pushed  out  into  the  wild  and  ebon  night. 

The  castaways  had  to  feel  their  way,  but  the  path  to 
the  cliff  was  well  known  to  them;  they  had  traversed  it 
hundreds — yes,  thousands  of  times  in  the  past,  and  now 
they  made  rapid  headway,  nerved  on  by  desperation. 
The  wind  in  its  fiercenes-s  made  them  stagger,  and  it 
caught  the  extremities  of  their  wraps  and  made  them 


374  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

snap  and  crack  like  whip-cords,  while  the  angry  billows 
dashed  and  thundered  on  the  beach  with  a  deafening 
roar.  For  all  the  darkness,  the  froth  and  foam  of  the 
briny  sea  could  be  seen  as  it  rolled  up  on  the  shingle  of 
Coral  Bay.  The  driving  rain  would  have  wet  the  two 
men  to  the  skin  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  palm-leaf  mats, 
which  shed  water  remarkably  well. 

At  last  the  cliff  was  reached,  and  what  the  scientist 
had  apprehended  was  a  reality;  the  overhanging  cliff 
had  disappeared,  and  where  it  had  once  been  was  a  huge 
declivity  sloping  back  to  the  southeast,  while  at  its  base 
was  piled  a  mass  of  debris  fifty  or  more  feet  in  height. 
The  boat,  and  most  of  the  tools,  were  beneath  the  rocky 
mass,  lost  to  their  makers  forever.  They  could  not  be 
extricated  from  under  the  avalanche,  and  even  if  they 
could  they  would  probably  be  crushed,  broken  and 
worthless. 

Mr.  Ellsworth  stood  with  folded  arms  and  compressed 
lips,  while  a  deep  sigh  escaped  him  as  he  looked  on  the 
work  of  destruction.  He  was  a  phlegmatic  man  and 
he  took  things  philosophically.  He  knew  what  had  hap- 
pened, and  he,  at  a  glance,  comprehended  that  their 
work  was  totally  and  irreparably  lost;  for  all  the  murky 
shadows  of  night  this  much  could  be  dimly  seen.  The 
scientist  further  understood  that  it  would  be  useless  to 
lament  what  could  not  now  be  undone. 

Fred  was  more  easily  moved  and  he  covered  his  face 
with  his  hands  and  several  heart-rending  sobs  convulsed 
his  person.  His  hopes,  which  had  been  raised  to  the 
highest  point  of  anticipation,  were  now  cruelly  shattered. 
Visions  of  home  and  friends  could  no  longer  be  indulged 
in;  surely  fate  had  been  merciless  to  these  two  already 
unfortunate  men. 

"If  there  be  a  just  God,  why  are  we  treated  in  this 
way?"  Fred  exclaimed  bitterly. 

"This  event  but  tends  to  support  my  theory,  Fred. 
The  Omnipotent  leaves  us  to  take  care  of  ourselves,  and 


FREDERICK   YOUNG.  375 

if  we  or  our  handiwork  are  in  the  way  of  any  of  the  great 
natural  forces,  we  or  our  work  must  take  the  conse- 
quences. The  combined  forces  of  wind  and  gravitation 
here  destroyed  months  of  patient  and  laborious  work. 
A  change  of  temperature  on  some  part  of  the  globe  evi-j, 
dently  set  the  air  molecules  in  violent  motion  and  pro- 
duced what  we  call  a  gale  or  hurricane.  This  strong 
wind  gained  a  hold  on  the  trees  which  surmounted  the 
bluff,  the  crack  had  already  weakened  the  hold  of  the 
overlianging  rocks;  they  could  not  overcome  the  extra 
strain  applied,  and,  consequently,  the  huge  mass  fell  re- 
gardless of  what  there  was  below.  It  would  have  been 
the  same  if  we  had  been  there  or  any  other  person  who 
has  ever  been  bom  on  the  earth.  The  avalanche  was 
simply  obeying  the  immutable  law  of  gravitation  as  ex- 
pounded by  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  and  nothing,  unless  it 
had  been  a  more  potential  material  force,  could  have 
averted  the  calamity." 

Nothing  could  be  done  at  the  scene  of  the  catas- 
trophe, and  the  wind  and  rain  made  it  disagreeable  out 
of  doors,  so  the  castaways  sadly  returned  to  their  humble 
abode. 

There  are  times  when  life  seems  hardly  worth  living, 
and  these  two  men  experienced  that  feeling  that  night 
if  they  ever  did.  Sleep  was  out  of  the  question.  The 
scientist  paced  the  single  apartment  of  their  home  un- 
easily, while  Fred  knelt  and  prayed  to  his  Creator  that 
mercy  might  be  shown  them  and  that  they  might  be  de- 
livered safely  from  the  cruel  fate  which  seemed  to  per- 
sistently pursue  them. 

After  many  long,  dreary  hours  morning  came,  and 
with  it  a  noticeable  decrease  in  the  fury  of  the  storm. 
The  wind  became  greatly  modified;  the  nimbus  clouds 
broke  up:  stray  rays  of  sunlight  penetrated  the  aper- 
tures and  shone  on  Empire  Island,  but  the  great  foamv 
billows  continued  to  run  high,  and  thev  broke  on  the 
beach  like  incessant  thunder.    The  sea-birds  constantly; 


376  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

reiterated  their  harsh  cries;  they  were  elated  by  Nep- 
tune's commotion  which  threw  an  abundance  of  food 
upon  the  shore  and  to  the  ocean's  surface  for  them. 

The  poor  castaways  did  not  notice  these  things;  mis- 
fortune had  come  upon  them  so  suddenly  that  they  were 
fairly  dazed  by  its  acuteness,and  they  wandered  aimlessly 
about  like  persons  in  a  dream.  They  went  to  the  cliff 
again  and  viewed  the  wreck  by  daylight.  It  had  been 
complete  in  its  work  of  destruction  for  not  a  vestige  of 
their  handiwork  could  be  seen.  Their  boat,  The  Hope, 
was  buried  under  forty  or  fifty  feet  of  huge  fragments 
of  the  cliff  mixed  with  earth  and  mangled  trees.  A 
score  of  men  working  as  many  days  could  not  unearth 
the  boat-yard  and  its  equipment.  Mr.  Ellsworth  and 
Fred  looked  at  the  termination  of  their  hope,  of  their 
work,  long  and  silently;  then  they  left  the  spot  and  re- 
turned there  no  more. 

After  the  midday  meal  was  finished,  and  it  was  not  par- 
taken of  heartily,  for  the  events  of  the  night  had  de- 
stroyed the  castaways'  appetites,  Mr.  Ellsworth  ascended 
Metropolitan  Hill,  From  this  elevation  the  scientist 
scanned  the  broad  expanse  of  ocean.  The  rough- 
ness of  the  sea  had  abated  greatly  since  daybreak,  and 
it  was  then  comparatively  calm,  although  white-caps  still 
broke  from  the  pebbly  strand  below  to  the  distant  hori- 
zon. No  sail  or  steamship's  stack  spouting  murky 
smoke  gladdened  the  observer's  eye;  the  same  monoto- 
nous sea,  that  had  become  so  familiar  to  him,  was  all  that 
met  his  gaze.  Would  a  sail  never  appear?  Would 
succor  never  come?  Were  these  unfortunate  men  des- 
tined to  be  cut  off  from  the  world  for  the  balance  of  their 
natural  lives?  How  many  times  such  questions  had 
entered  their  minds,  but  no  reassuring  answer  came;  no 
event  transpired  to  fill  their  souk  with  hope. 

It  was  3  o'clock  in, the  afternoon;  night  would  soon 
come  again.  Yes,  the  30th  of  January,  1882,  was  draw- 
ing to  a  close.     In  a  few  days  the  second  anniversary  of 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  377 

tlie  castaways'  confinement  to  this  solitary  land  would 
arrive.  And  they  had  been  long-,  weary  years  to  these 
unfortunate  men.  It  really  seemed  as  if  ten  instead  of 
two  years  had  flown.  During  all  of  that  time  but  one 
sign  of  human  life  had  been  seen,  and  that  was  when  the 
ship  appeared,  but  even  that  passed  them  by  as  if  they 
were  of  no  account.  These  men  had  been  enterprising, 
and  in  boat-building  they  had  been  eminently  successful, 
but  an  unfortunate  accident  had  destroyed  the  fruits  of 
their  toil.     Fate  truly  seemed  to  be  against  them. 

Silence  reigned  within  Cocoanut  Grove  Cabin.  The 
sun  was  nearing  the  western  horizon,  and  its  golden 
beams  stole  through  the  window  and  shone  on  the  east- 
em  wall,  making  the  stalactite  laden  shelf  sparkle  with 
dazzling  splendor.  The  castaways  sat  near  the  table. 
One  nearing  the  decline  of  life,  the  other  in  the  prime 
of  manhood,  and  both  involuntarily  held  in  exile  from 
all  that  they  loved  on  earth.  Is  it  any  wonder,  kind 
reader,  that  their  faces  were  gloomy  and  that  sorrow  and 
disappointment  were  depicted  in  every  lineament? 

Neither  had  spoken  for  some  time ;  they  were  in  deep 
thought.  Disappointment  following-  in  the  rear  of  ex- 
pectancy produces  a  painful  reaction,  and  it  takes  time 
to  blunt  its  poignancy.  They  neither  heard  the  swash 
of  the  waves  on  the  beach,  nor  the  notes  of  the  birds, 
nor  the  hum  of  the  multitudes  of  insects,  for  these  sounds 
were  too  common.  Nor  did  the  castaways  notice  with 
what  a  soft,  mellow  lig'ht  the  declining  orb  of  day  had 
illumined  their  domicile.  They  were  too  sad  and  de- 
spondent to  notice  common  things. 

Suddenly  they  were  startled  by  an  unnatural  sound  on 
Empire  Isiland;  it  was  a  loud,  sharp  bark.  Could  it  be 
a  sea-lion  on  the  shore,  or  was  there  some  species  of  fox 
or  wolf  in  the  forest  of  which  they  were  ignorant?  They 
looked  at  each  other  inquiringly,  and  then  they  were 
about  to  arise  and  look  out  of  the  open  doorway,  when 
the  pebbles  were  heard  to  rattle  and  strike  against  the 


378  FREDERICK    YOU  NO. 

exterior  of  fbhe  cabin,  and  the  doorway  immediately 
afterwards  was  darkened  by  a  huge  animal  form  bounding 
through  it.  The  new-comer  was  as  large  as  a  mastiff ;  he 
was  gray,  marked  with  dark  tawmy  brown;  his  nose  was 
black;  his  eyes  and  head  were  large,  expressive  and  in- 
telligent, while  his  ears  were  pendulous.  He  did  not 
notice  Mr.  Ellsworth,  but  bounded  at  Fred;  put  his 
paws  on  Fred's  knees,  then  on  his  shoulders,  licked  his 
face,  and  moaned  and  cried  almost  humanly. 

"My  God!  Prince!  Prince!  My  dear  old  Prince! 
exclaimed  Fred,  and  his  face  grew  as  pale  as  death,  while 
he  threw  his  arms  around  his  faithful  dog  and  hugged 
and  kissed  him  as  he  would  have  his  own  child  after  long 
separation. 

Mr.  Ellsworth  looked  on  in  unbounded  surprise;  he 
thought  the  dog  to  be  some  wild  beast  at  first  and  he 
was  about  to  jump  to  Fred's  rescue  with  the  hatchet, 
which  he  had  seized,  when  he  heard  Fred's  exclamations 
and  saw  the  demonstrations  of  joy  and  affection  between 
the  man  and  the  animal,  and  then  the  scientist  was  more 
puzzled  than  before. 

"Come,  my  friend,"  said  Fred  arising  and  staggering 
to  the  door  with  the  dog  joyfully  leaping  and  bounding 
before  him,  "this  is  my  dog,  Prince,  and  friends  and 
deliverance  must  be  near  at  hand." 

Just  at  that  instant  the  loud  report  of  a  cannon  re- 
verberated through  the  hills  and  valleys  of  Empire 
Island. 

The  thoroughly  surprised  and  agitated  castaways 
stepped  out  upon  the  veranda  and  looked  out  over  the 
sea.  There  met  their  astonished  gaze  the  sight  of  a  beau- 
tiful yacht  under  easy  steam  within  Coral  Bay  and 
slowly  approaching  the  shore.  As  they  looked  a  puff 
of  smoke  issued  from  her  bow,  and  a  second  report 
echoed  from  hill  to  hill. 

"The  Altair!"  exclaimed  Fred,  and  he  leaned  heavily 
on  his  companion.     The  revelation  had  unnerved  him. 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  379 


CHAPTER    XXX. 

A   HAPPY    REUNION. 

The  moment  Fred  saw  the  famihar  outline  of  his  fath- 
er's yacht  he  recognized  the  Altair,  and  to  see  her  slowly 
steaming  up  Coral  Bay  was  too  much  for  him  to  calmly 
bear  up  under  at  the  moment.  However,  joy  seldom  has 
a  disastrous  effect,  and  Fred,  in  anticipation  of  more 
surprises,  went  down  to  the  beach,  followed  by  the  sci- 
entist and  accompanied  by  the  joyful  dog  to  whom  he 
owed  so  much. 

Prince  was  exuberant  with  animation;  he  barked, 
leaped,  moaned  and  licked  Fred's  hands.  The  long  lost 
master  was  at  last  found,  and  the  poor  dog  could  not  be 
demonstrative  enough. 

The  castaways  acted  like  children.  Tears  came  to 
their  eyes,  caused  by  excessive  joy;  they  waved  their 
hats  and  shouted  and  cheered  lustily.  They  hardly 
knew  what  they  were  doing. 

Meanwhile  a  boat  was  lowered  from  the  yacht  and 
several  ladies  and  gentlemen  descended  the  steps  to  it. 
The  oarsmen  hurriedly  took  their  places,  and  the  boat 
was  soon  approaching  the  beach  at  a  terrific  rate  of 
speed,  impelled  by  three  pair  of  oars,  which  were  plied 
by  as  many  muscular  seamen. 

Those  in  the  boat  were  all  strangers  to  Mr.  Ellsworth, 
but  Fred  recognized  one  after  another  and  called  their 
names  aloud.  Father,  mother,  sister,  Marion,  his  be- 
trothed wife,  and  many  friends.  They  were  all  there. 
Those  on  earth  whom  he  loved  best  were  but  a  few  rods 
away.  It  must  be  remembered  that  Fred  had  not  seen 
these  dear  relatives  and  friends  for  over  four  years,  or 
since  the  time  he  departed  for  Melbourne.     It  seemed  to 


380  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

him  ten  years  previous.  Now  he  was  so  eager  to  greet 
the  approaching  party  that  he  could  not  wait  for  the 
bow  of  the  boat  to  grate  on  the  shingle;  he  waded  out 
to  meet  it. 

Here,  kind  reader,  your  imagination  must  assist  the 
writer.  My  pen  is  inadequate  to  depict  to  your  under- 
standing how  the  father,  mother,  sister,  affianced  wife; 
laughed,  cried,  and  did  all  sorts  of  ridiculous  things, 
while  the  good  son  tried  to  embrace  and  caress  them  all. 
They  were  all  too  overflowing  with  joy  to  speak  coher- 
ently at  first,  but  complacency  and  volubility  soon  fol- 
lowed. 

The  kind  father  and  gentle  mother  shed  happy  tears 
in  unison ;  the  affectionate  sister  embraced  her  long-lost 
brother  and  received  loving  caresses  in  return,  while 
Marion,  although  happy  in  her  lover's  arms,  did  not 
relish  a  dozen  kisses  being  rained  on  her  cherry-red  lips 
before  all  her  friends,  as  was  made  evident  by  her  blush- 
ing cheeks.  However,  such  a  demonstration  of  affec- 
tion, after  such  a  long  parting,  was  not,  by  those  present, 
considered  as  being  improper. 

After  these  mutual  interchanges  of  love  and  friend- 
ship had  taken  place,  Fred  said: 

"Friends,  allow  me  to  make  you  all  acquainted  with 
my  kind  and  learned  companion,  Mr.  Samuel  P.  Ells- 
worth, who  is  the  only  survivor,  excepting  myself,  of  the 
second  life-boat  which  left  the  wTeck  of  the  Polynesia 
nearly  two,  long,  weary  years  ago." 

"My  friend,  I  am  glad  to  meet  you  and  trust  that  I 
may  be  the  means  of  returning  you  to  civilization,"  said 
Mr.  Young,  grasping  the  scientist's  hand,  and  then 
everybody  present  followed  suit,  and  Mr.  Ellsworth  was 
besieged  with  kindly  greetings  and  good  wishes. 

"And  this,"  said  the  naturalist,  "is  Miss  Marion,  of 
whom  Fred  has  spoken  so  many  times  during  our  exile," 
and  he  cordially  pressed  her  hand. 

"Now,  Mr.  Ellsworth,  if  you  will  show  us  where  you 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  381 

have  lived  these  two  years,  we  will  leave  Marion  and 
Fred  to  look  after  the  boat  while  we  are  gone,"  said  Mr. 
Young  with  a  smile. 

"Certainly,"  returned  the  scientist,  and  they  all  fol- 
lowed him  toward  Cocoanut  Grove,  excepting  the  lovers, 
who  were  left  alone  on  the  beach. 

Mr,  Young  had  considerately  done  this,  so  that  Marion 
and  Fred  might  enjoy  each  other's  company  a  little  while, 
unobserved  by  the  curious  sailors. 

The  sun  had  set  and  the  shadlows  of  night  were  fast 
spreading  over  the  South  Pacific,  when  the  whole  party, 
including  the  castaways,  went  on  board  the  yacht,  where 
a  sumptuous  spread  had  been  prepared  in  the  dining 
saloon  for  the  occasion.  Empire  Island  was  once  more 
destitute  of  human  beings. 

"Father,"  Fred  said,  after  the  repast  had  been  partaken 
of,  will  you  now  please  tell  us  how  you  found  this  island, 
and  why  you  came?" 

Mr.  Young  related  all  the  events  of  the  voyage  in  de- 
tail. Up  to  that  point  where  Prince  behaved  so  strangely 
on  the  beach,  at  Juan  Fernandez,  the  reader  is  already 
informed.  The  later  events  we  will  obtain  from  Mr. 
Young's  narrative. 

After  the  happy  father  had  told  how  Marion  had  insti- 
gated and  promoted  the  expedition,  he  told  of  their 
wanderings  among  the  South  Pacific  groups,  of  their 
adventures;  how  Marion  was  captured  by  the  savages 
on  Tetuara  atoll ;  how  she  was  rescued  by  the  wonderful 
instinct  of  Prince;  how  strangely  he  had  acted  at  times, 
and  especially  on  Pitcairn's  Island;  how  they  had  been 
diverted  by  a  false  clue  to  the  interior  of  New  Zealand; 
how  the  three  men  were  taken  from  the  Maoris  and  liber- 
ated, and  finally  how  hope  was  lost,  the  search  aban- 
doned, and  amid  what  disappointment  the  Alfair's  bow 
was  turned  toward  Cape  Horn.  And  then  he  told  of 
Marion's  happy  thought;  how  she  wanted  to  see  Cru- 
soe's island,  and  how  they  all  went  ashore.     Then  Mr. 


383  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

Young  dwelt  at  length  on  the  visit  to  the  shores  of  Juan 
Fernandez. 

"We  thought,"  said  Mr.  Young,  "that  Prince  had  dis- 
covered some  burrowing  rodent,  but  when  we  helped 
the  dog  to  unearth  his  find,  and  upon  turning  a  board 
or  plank  over  and  found  nothing  but  sand  and  seaweed 
beneath  it,  we  were  puzzled.  When  Prince  smelled  of 
the  plank  and  then  redoubled  his  strange  demonstrations 
we  were  led  to  attach  some  importance  to  it,  and  we  im- 
mediately cleaned  the  sand  off.  What  was  our  surprise — 
to  note  that  one  side  of  the  plank  was  covered  with  quite 
well  preserved  black  inscriptions^ — you  can  imagine." 

"Ah!  so  we  owe  our  deliverance  to  the  planks  after 
all.  We  made  and  liberated  many,  but  it  was  so  long 
ago  that  I  had  almost  forgotten  about  them,"  said  Fred. 

Yes,  you  owe  much  to  the  planks;  and  incalculably 
more  to  our  Father  in  heaven,  who  must  have  guided  us," 
interposed  Mr.  Stillman. 

"To  continue  the  story,"  said  Mr.  Young,  "Marion 
was  the  first  one  to  see  your  name  on  the  plank.  Tliey 
•say  love  is  quick-sighted,  and  it  certainly  proved  to  be  in 
this  instance.  Well,  to  cut  it  short,  the  finding  of  the 
plank  told  us  that  you  were  alive  or,  at  any  rate,  that  you 
lived  after  the  Polynesia  went  down,  and  further,  it  told 
us  where  to  look  for  you." 

"Everybody  on  board  was  made  happy  when  we  had 
almost  become,  in  a  sorrowful  way,  reconciled  to  failure. 
It  was  dark  when  we  had  eaten  supper,  but  we  did  not 
hesitate  to  leave  Cumberland  Bay  that  very  evening  in 
search  of  your  island.  That  was  on  the  i6th  day  of 
January,  and  we  arrived  in  this  vicinity  five  days  ago,  and 
have  been  searching  for  you  ever  since.  The  recent 
gale  drove  us  from  our  course.  It  was  the  worst  storm 
I  have  ever  encountered,  but  thank  God  we  survived  it 
safely,  and  this  morning  we  sighted  the  higher  moun- 
tain on  this  island.  After  we  saw  the  peak,  which  was 
then  to  the  southeast,  we  made  immediately  for  it  with  all 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  383 

possible  speed.  Well,  we  finally  came  to  the  indenta- 
tion that  you  call  Coral  Bay,  and  a  little  later  Captain 
Ashton,  with  a  glass,  discovered  a  cabin  nestled  among 
the  palms.  You  can  imagine  how  excited  and  impatient 
we  were,  but  we  had  to  proceed  slowly,  for  we  were  on  a 
strange  coast,  and  it  was  found  necessary  to  make  fre- 
quent soundings  as  we  neared  the  shore. 

"Prince,  who  has  demonstrated  an  instinct — I  know 
of  no  more  appropriate  name — which  is  the  most  remark- 
able that  has  ever  come  to  my  notice,  had  been  very 
uneasy  for  several  days.  When  we  were  a  mile  off  shore 
he  plunged  into  the  sea  before  we  could  arrest  him,  and 
swam  to  the  point  of  land  at  the  mouth  of  this  bay.  For- 
tunately no  ravenous  shark  happened  to  be  about,  so 
Prince  got  ashore  all  right.  We  watched  him  through 
our  glasses;  we  saw  him  crawl  from  the  sea  on  to  the 
steep,  rocky  shore,  shake  the  water  from  him,  sniflf  the 
air,  and  then  start  oflf  rapidly  toward  what  proved  to  be 
your  habitation.  The  rest,  my  son,  you  know.  We  now 
only  have  to  thank  the  Almighty  that  after  many  ad- 
versities, and  after  much  persevering  labor,  we  have 
found  you,  and  that  health  and  strength  have  been  given 
OS  to  bring  our  search  to  a  successful  consummation." 

"Amen!"   said  Fred  reverently. 

Mr.  Ellsworth  said  nothing,  but  gratitude  was  depicted 
on  his  features.  His  heart  was  too  full  for  audible 
expression,  and  his  brain  was  sorely  puzzled  by  the  ex- 
ploits of  Prince,  which  the  naturalist  could  not  account 
for  scientifically  then,  but  he  had  unbounded  faith  in  per- 
sistent investigation,  and  he  had  no  doubt  but  that  the  so- 
called  instinct  in  birds  and  mammals  would  be  fully  ex- 
plained by  future  generations,  if  not  by  the  present. 

"We  owe  this  noble  animal  a  great  deal  more  than  we 
can  ever  repay  him,"  said  Fred,  turning  to  Mr.  Ells- 
worth. 

Meanwhile  Prince  rested  his  nose  on  his  young  mast- 
er's knee  and  gazed  aflPectionately  up  into  his  face. 


384  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

"The  most  we  can  do,  Fred,  is  to  see  that  Prince  has  a 
good  home,  plenty  to  eat  and  kind  treatment  for  the  bal- 
ance of  his  Ufe,"  said  the  scientist,  smiUng. 

"There  is  no  danger  but  that  Prince  will  be  treated 
with  great  kindness  and  solicitude;  in  fact,  he  always 
has  been,"  returned  Fred. 

"Only  think,"  said  Marion,  looking  up  into  her  lover's 
face,  "last  October  we  made  quite  a  stay  at  Pitcaim's 
Island,  and  while  we  were  up  on  Outlook  Ridge  one  day. 
Prince  looked  off  in  this  direction  and  moaned  and 
pleaded  in  an  unusual  manner.  He  knew  that  you  were 
here  then,  and  I  intimated  as  much,  and  they  all  ridiculed 
me  for  it  but  Mr.  Young,  and  I  really  think  be  thought 
as  I  did." 

"You  could  not  blame  them,  Marion;  it  is  truly  in- 
comprehensible how  an  animal  can  be  gifted  with  such 
an  acute  sense  of  smell  or  with  such  a  wonderful  instinct, 
for  I  know  not  to  which  it  should  be  attributed,"  Fred 
replied,  and  then  he  turned  to  the  scientist  and  said: 
"Mr.  Ellsworth,  will  you  kindly  give  us  your  ideas  re- 
garding these  mysterious  actions?" 

"My  friends,"  said  the  naturalist,  "I  have  listened  to 
Mr.  Young's  narrative  very  carefully,  and  that  part  re- 
lating to  Prince  has  been  of  especial  interest  to  me.  I 
have  made  quite  a  study  of  animal  instinct  and  intelli- 
gence, and  many  of  the  instances  of  remarkable  saga- 
ciousness  among  dogs  have  come  to  my  notice,  but,  I 
think,  the  quickness  of  scent,  the  keenness  of  discern- 
ment, and  the  unerring  judgment  of  your  St.  Bernard 
must  be  vastly  superior  to  those  qualities  in  the  majority 
of  dogs.  Further,  I  think  that  Prince  can  reason  with 
much  accuracy,  and  he  seemingly  uses  his  intelligence 
and  senses  to  the  very  best  advantage,  as  was  evidenced 
by  his  behavior  on  the  atoll  where  Miss  Stillman  was  cap- 
tured by  the  natives. 

"Now,  it  is  my  opinion  that  the  strange  actions  of 
Prince  while  on  the  yacht  and  on  Pitcaim's  Island  may 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  385 

have  had  no  connection  with  his  master's  existence  in 
this  part  of  the  world.  I  will  not  say  that  it  was  im- 
possible that  Prince  scented  Fred,  for  experience  has 
taught  me  to  be  careful  in  using  the  word  impossible, 
but  I  will  say  that  it  seems  very  improbable.  These 
actions  might  have  been  accounted  for  by  local  causes 
had  they  been  properly  investigated  at  the  time,  but  re- 
garding that  we  cannot  now  intelligently  speak.  It  is 
possible,  but  not  probable,  that  air  molecules,  bearing  a 
faint  scent  from  Fred,  were  blown  across  the  sea  from 
Empire  Island  to  the  Altair  or  to  Pitcairn's  Island,  and 
that  those  molecules  were  inhaled  by  Prince  and  that  he, 
by  their  odor  and  his  acuteness  of  smell,  became  aware 
of  the  fact  that  his  master  was  not  far  away.  But  Prince 
had  not  seen  his  master  for  three  or  four  years,  you  may 
say  or  think.  Does  an  elephant  forget  an  injury,  or  the 
one  who  inflicted  it,  in  four  years,  or  even  m  ten  or  more 
years?  No,  we  must  say;  then  why  should  a  loving  and 
intelligent  dog  forget  his  master  in  two  yeans?  When 
Prince  found  Fred  there  was  nothing  to  indicate  a  falter- 
ing of  memory,  surely, 

"The  plank  episode  at  Juan  Fernandez  was  certainly 
very  remarkable,  but  it  can,  I  think,  be  accounted  for  in 
a  rational  way.  Fred  worked  that  plank  from  a  tree 
butt,  and  he  put  on  the  markings  and  the  resinous  coat- 
ing with  his  own  hands.  He  probably  handled  and 
worked  over  the  plank  a  day  or  more,  and,  no  doubt,  the 
wood  became  thoroughly  impregnated  with  his  peculiar 
odor,  and  probably  hundreds  of  microscopic  particles 
wore  oflF  the  cuticle  of  his  hands  and  adhered  to  the 
plank.  Both  the  odor,  which  the  porous  recesses  of  the 
wood  absorbed,  and  the  epidermal  particles  were  covered 
with  a  varnish-like  substance,  which  had  a  tendency  to 
preserve  them,  and  as  the  external  protection  wore  away 
it  is  not  at  all  unlikely  that  they  were  liberated  with  com- 
parative freshness  of  scent,  and  further,  it  would  not  be 
strange,  as  Prince  happened 'to  go  to  the  very  spot  w^ere 


386  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

this  plank  was  concealed,  if  the  odor  in  question  came 
in  contact  with  the  intricate  network  of  the  olfactory 
nerves  of  your  St.  Bernard.  If  Prince  perceived  this 
odor,  and  circumstances  certainly  indicate  that  he  did, 
he  immediately  recognized  the  fact  that  his  master,  or 
something  from  his  master,  was  in  the  near  vicinity.  Still 
further.  Prince  knew  that  if  his  discovery  was  to  be  fruit- 
ful, it  must  be  made  known  to  his  friends. 

"To  many  my  theory  or  theories  may  seem  rather  ex- 
travagant at  finst,  but  on  mature  thought,  coupled  with 
a  careful  investigation,  1  think  doubt  will  melt  away,  so 
to  speak. 

"It  is  said  that  a  slave  or  a  fugitive  from  justice  may 
be  trailed  and  captured  by  employing  a  smart  blood- 
hound, even  when  the  hound  does  not  strike  or  scent  the 
trail  for  several  hours  or  days  after  the  pursued  has  left 
or  passed';  and  oftentimes  the  dog  has  never  seen  his 
victim,  the  hound  being  allowed  simply  to  smell  of  a 
shoe  or  garment  belonging  to  the  one  to  be  trailed.  Fur- 
ther, the  St.  Bernard  dog  of  the  present  day;  that  is, 
those  dogs  employed  by  the  monks  of  the  Hospice  of  St. 
Bernard,  after  the  fatal  epidemic  of  1820,  is  noted  for  his 
sagaciousness.  The  monks  train  tliese  dogs  to  rescue 
travelers  in  the  dangerous  passes  and  on  the  rugged 
slopes  of  the  Swiss  Alps.  During  the  prevalence  of 
snow  storms,  and  when  travelers  are  known  to  be  among 
the  mountains,  these  powerful  and  intelligent  dogs  are 
sent  out  from  the  convent  in  pairs,  one  carrying  a  cloak 
and  the  other  a  flask  of  spirits  fastened  to  his  collar.  If 
they  find  a  lost  and  fatigued  traveler  they  allow  him  to 
take  and  don  the  cloak  and  to  drink  of  the  stimulant,  and 
they  will  then  conduct  him  to  the  convent;  but  if  the 
traveler  has  become  cold  and  incapable  of  caring  for  him- 
self and  has  fallen  and  has  been  covered  with  falling  or 
drifting  snow,  the  acute  scent  of  these  dogs  will  d>etect 
his  presence,  even  if  he  be  several  feet  beneath  the  stir- 
face,  and  they  will  clear  the  snow  from  his  body  with 


FREDERICK   YOUNG,  387 

their  feet,  and  bring  assistance  from  the  convent.  In 
this  way  many  lives  are  saved  each  year  by  these  valuable 
and  world-renowned  dogs,  but  the  poor  animals  often 
lose  their  own  lives  while  trying  to  save  human  beings. 

"I  remember  reading  of  one  noted  dog  belonging  to 
the  convent,  which  lost  his  life  in  this  way,  but  his  dead 
body  bore  a  collar  to  which  was  attached  a  medal  show- 
ing that  through  his  instrumentality  twenty-two  lives  had 
been  saved.  Friends,  the  most  remarkable  things  which 
Prince  did  during  your  voyage,  were  not  much  if  any 
more  wonderful  than  what  the  bloodhound  or  the  St. 
Bernard  dog  does  every  year,  and  I  might  relate  many 
more  instances  which  would  tend  to  prove  that  certain 
dogs  possess  a  superhuman  intelligence.  They  share 
nearly  all  human  passions.  The  dog  sympathizes  with 
its  master,  and  with  its  kind ;  it  has  a  good  memory,  and 
instances  where  that  faculty  is  assisted  by  the  association 
of  ideas  are  made  manifest  to  us;  it  dreams;  it  has  con- 
siderable imagination;  it  evidences  shame  for  improper 
conduct;  it  submits  to  deserved  punishment,  and  even 
expects  to  be  reprimanded  for  doing  wrong;  it  even 
heaves  a  deep  sigh  of  resignation  when  its  desires  are 
not  gratified;  in  fact,  the  dog  is  subject  to  anger,  hatred, 
jealousy,  envy,  grief,  repugnance  and  love;  it  shows 
gratitude,  surprise,  joy,  generosity,  apprehension  and 
fear.  It  has  even  been  said  that  dogs  have  a  religion, 
and  that  man  is  their  god. 

"Now, this  superhuman  intelligence  is  not  confined  to 
dogs.  It  can  be  proved  that  a  carrier  pigeon  which  be- 
longed in  the  State  of  Massachusetts  was  taken  to  Flori- 
da,a  distance  of  over  i,ioo  miles,  and  liberated, and  at  the 
expiration  of  twenty-five  days  it  returned  to  its  former 
abode  in  the  North.  How  was  it  guided  there?  Was 
it  not  just  as  liable  to  fly  to  the  west,  the  northwest,  or 
the  north,  as  to  travel  toward  its  home,  which  was  a  little 
east  of  north?  If  it  had  made  but  a  small  error  in  its 
course  at  the  start,  it  would  have  constantly  diverged 


388  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

from  its  intended  destination,  and  upon  its  arrival  in  the 
north  the  error  would  have  amounted  to  hundreds  of 
miles.  There  is  certainly  a  great  deal  connected  with 
the  occult  in  animated  nature  that  is  beyond  our  com- 
prehension. 

"Summarily,  let  me  say  that  there  is  much  for  us  to 
learn  of  the  immaterial  in  nature.  So  let  us  not  judge 
hastily,  criticise  severely,  nor  be  empirical  in  our  decis- 
ions of  those  things  which  properly  belong  to  science. 
Say  what  you  may,  think  what  you  will,  you  cannot 
avoid  acknowledging  that  certain  animals,  which  by 
classification  are  placed  on  a  lower  scale  than  man,  are 
really  superior  in  many  respects  to  ourselves." 

"Thank  you,  Mr.  Ellsworth,"  said  Marion.  "Prince 
has  now  a  competent  champion  and  one  who  deals  with 
facts  instead  of  fancies.  If  my  friends  ridicule  me  and 
try  to  argue  down  my  faith  in  the  superior  intelligence 
of  Prince,  I  shall  simply  refer  them  to  you." 

"You  honor  me  too  much.  Miss  Stillman.  I  simply 
stand  firm  for  what  I  have  long  recognized  to  be  a  great 
truth,  and  in  supporting  the  truth  I  draw  but  sparingly 
from  the  store-house,  which  man  by  his  records  and  ob- 
servations has  made  pregnant  with  undebatable  axioms," 
the  scientist  replied. 

"Marion,"  said  Fred,  "I  have  been  in  close  compan- 
ionship with  Mr.  Ellsworth  for  nearly  two  years,  and 
during  that  time  he  has  improved  my  mind  very  much, 
and  he  has  taught  me  many  wonderful  things  of  which* 
I  had  no  previous  knowledge.  Now,  regarding  what 
Prince  has  done,  to  many  his  actions  would  seem  to 
have  been  greatly  magnified  or  exaggerated  by  the  nar- 
rator of  the  events,  but  by  carefully  considering  what 
Mr.  Ellsworth  has  said  on  the  subject,  one  cannot  help 
thinking  that  there  have  been,  or  that  there  are,  just  as 
intelligent  dogs  as  our  noble  St.  Bernard." 

"Well,"  said  Mr.  Young,  "by  what  you  have  said,  Mr. 
Ellsworth,  I  have  become  convinced  that  Prince  is  not 


FREDERICK    YOU  NO.  389 

much  more  sagacious  than  some  other  dogs.  He  has 
surely  done  much  for  us,  and  if  he  had  not  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  expedition  I  am  afraid  the  Altair  would  not 
be  anchored  in  Coral  Bay  to-night," 

"Captain,"  said  Fred  a  little  later,  "does  this  island 
appear  on  the  charts?" 

"It  does  not,  and  for  that  reason  we  began  to  think 
that  you  had  made  some  mistake  in  the  latitude  or  longi- 
tude." 

"And  you  have  the  most  modem  charts  extant?"  con- 
tinued Fred. 

"The  very  latest  issues,"  sadd  the  captain. 

"Then,  Mr.  Ellsworth,  you  and  I  are  the  discoverers  of 
Empire  Island,"  said  Fred,  turning  to  the  scientist. 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  Fred,  but  I  think  you  are  the  real 
discoverer,  as  you  first  sighted  the  higher  mountain 
peak." 

"You  mean  Mt.  Ellsworth;  well,  perhaps  you  are  right, 
but  as  we  took  possession  jointly  we  will  share  the 
honors." 

At  this  juncture  the  scientist  produced  his  carefully 
prepared  map  of  the  island,  and  it  was  examined  by  the 
members  of  the  expedition  with  great  interest. 

"I  see  the  castaways  did  not  forget  their  mother 
State,"  smilingly  said  Mr.  Stillman,  as  he  noted  the 
names  on  the  map. 

"Not  by  any  means,"  said  Fred.  "But,  my  friends, 
you  do  not  realize  how  appropriate  some  of  our  names 
are;  you  must  stay  here  a  few  days  and  see  some  of  the 
beauties  of  Empire  Island.  We  will  show  you  the  most 
superb  of  crystal  lakes;  our  Sylvan  Lake — a  diamond  of 
the  first  water  in  an  emerald  setting.  We  will  show  you 
subterranean  chambers  that  the  most  famed  of  Arabian 
genii  were  never  able  to  produce ;  we  want  you  to  ascend 
Mt.  Ellsworth  and  enjoy  the  superlative  of  bird's-eye 
views,  and  then  there  is  much  more  that  you  will  all  profit 
by  seeing." 


390  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

"We  will  stay  and  see  it  all,  Fred,"  returned  Mr. 
Young. 

The  next  morning  all  hands  arose  before  the  sun,  and 
directly  after  breakfast  nearly  ever^'body  went  ashore. 
They  visited  Cocoanut  Grove  Cabin,  and  Captain  Ashton 
went  nearly  wild  over  the  collection  of  natural  history 
specimens  that  Mr.  Ellsworth  had  amassed  there.  It  is 
needless  to  say  that  the  scientifically  inclined  gentlemen 
became  firm  friends,  and  it  may  be  stated  that  the  friendly 
feeling  there  engendered  between  the  scientist  and  the 
captain  grew  in  intensity  as  the  time  went  by.  They 
isolated  themselves  from  their  companions  at  every  op- 
portunity and  indulged  in  long  and  earnest  discussions, 
which  we  will  assume  related  to  the  great  scientific  prob- 
lems of  the  day. 

The  sun  shone  brightly  on  January  31st,  and  Captain 
Asihton  took  the  correct  position  of  the  islet  with  his 
instruments.  It  was  found  to  be  in  29°  41'  S.  lat.,  and  in 
136°  24'  W.  long,  from  Greenwich,  or  about  450  miles 
southwest  of  Pitcaim's  Island.  This  computation  re- 
flected great  credit  on  Mr.  Ellsworth,  for  with  his  crude 
instruments  he  had  obtained  the  correct  position  of  Em- 
pire Island  in  degrees,  and  it  was  his  figures  that  had 
guided  the  Altair  to  Coral  Bay. 

In  the  days  that  followed  the  castaways'  island  was 
thoroughly  explored.  The  whole  party  ascended  the 
peaks  of  Mt.  Ellsworth  and  Mt.  Young;  they  visited  the 
spring;  the  cliff  where  the  boat  was  buried  by  an  ava- 
lanche; they  went  up  Palm  River;  explored  Sylvan 
Lake;  the  recesses  of  Stalactite  Cave,  and,  in  fact,  they 
saw  everything  of  interest  on  Empire  Island. 

While  on  the  shore  of  the  lake  one  day  Captain  Ash- 
ton heard  the  same  strange  commotion  and  splash  that 
the  castaways  had  heard  many  months  before.  The 
captain  sprang  to  the  water's  edge  just  in  time  to  see  the 
eddies  on  the  lake's  surface  where  some  huge  animal 
body  had  just  disappeared.     He  suspected  what  the  ani- 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  391 

mal  vvas  and  waited  a  few  moments  in  perfect  silence. 
In  just  three  minutes  a  huge  pear-shaped  face,  the  larger 
part  being  below,  rose  gently  above  the  water  some 
twenty  feet  from  shore.  Back  of  the  head  could  be  seen 
a  long,  roundish  body  of  a  dark  grayish  color.  Two 
minute  eyes,  circular  in  form  and  surrounded  with  fine 
wrinkles,  g^zed  steadily  toward  the  shore. 

"The  manatee,"  ejaculated  Captain  Ashton  the  second 
the  head  appeared,  and  instantly  the  report  of  his  rifle 
echoed  from  shore  to  shore.  The  conical  bullet  pierced 
the  brain  of  the  strange  animal,  and  it  was  soon  ashore 
—dead.  It  measured  nine  feet  and  four  inches  in  length, 
and  Mr.  Ellsworth  pronounced  it  to  be  the  Manatus 
senegalensis  of  science, 

"This  is  what  is  called  a  *sea  cow'  in  Florida;  I  have 
shot  numbers  of  them  there,  and  I  can  see  no  difference 
between  them  and  this  one,  unless  the  American  species 
is  a  trifle  smaller." 

"My  dear  Captain,"  said  the  scientist,  "there  is  more 
difference  than  one  would  imagine.  In  this  specimen 
the  anterior  part  of  the  rostrom  is  not  so  long,  not  so 
deep,  and  smaller  in  every  way;  the  orbit  is  not  so  large; 
the  zygomatic  process  is  more  massive;  the  upper  mar- 
gin of  the  anterior  nares  is  narrower  and  with  a  smooth 
and  rounded,  instead  of  a  thin  and  serrated  edge;  the 
upper  surface  of  the  frontal  is  flat,  instead  of  concave; 
foramen  magnum  and  occipital  condyles  are  narrower 
from  side  to  side,  and  the  symphysis  of  the  mandible 
smaller  and  shallower.  At  least,  these  specific  differ- 
ences have  been  pointed  out  by  Flower,  an  authority 
on  the  subject." 

"No  doubt  but  there  is  a  specific  difference,  but  the 
general  external  appearance  is  substantially  the  same," 
returned  the  captain. 

"It  is  a  horrid  looking  thing,  anyway,"  said  Constance 
at  a  distance. 

"Are  they  good  for  anything?"   asked  Mrs.  Stillman. 


392  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

"Yes,  indeed,"  said  Mr.  Ellsworth,  "they  yield  consid- 
erable oil,  and  the  flesh  is  good  to  eat,  as  it  muc:h  resem- 
bles beef  when  fresh,  and  after  salting  it  forms  an 
excellent  substitute  for  bacon." 

Three  weeks  were  spent  at  Empire  Island.  After  the 
object  of  the  voyage  had  been  accompHshed  Mr.  Young 
seemed  content  to  remain  on  the  island  with  his  entire 
family  around  him,  but  the  sailors  were  getting  impa- 
tient to  go  home  so  their  desires  were  complied  with,  and 
on  the  2 1st  day  of  February,  1883,  the  Altair  steamed 
out  of  Coral  Bay  bound  for  home. 

As  the  yacht  rounded  Harlem  Reef,  the  flagstaff  bear- 
ing the  stars  and  stripes  of  the  United  States  of  America, 
which  the  castaways  had  caused  to  be  erected  on  Metro- 
politan Hill,  came  out  into  full  view,  and  everybody  on 
deck  joined  in  saluting  this  flag  of  his  country  farewell. 

At  the  base  of  the  staff  had  been  substantially  mounted 
a  stone  tablet,  on  which  were  inscriptions  showing  that 
the  castaways  had  taken  possession  of  this  isolated  land 
in  the  name  of  their  native  country. 

Mr.  Ellsworth  had  brought  all  his  treasures  aboard  the 
yacht,  including  the  massive  meteorite,  which  was  a  se- 
vere strain  on  the  fore  yard-arm  when  the  ultramundane 
visitor  was  swung  on  deck. 

As  the  ship  rounded  Cape  Garfield  and  headed  south- 
east, quite  a  group  collected  aft  to  witness  the  land  fade 
away  astern. 

How  beautiful  the  island  was!  It  really  seemed  a  pity 
to  leave  it.  The  castaways  did  experience  a  pang  of  re- 
gret as  the  fleet  yacht  left  their  island  in  the  rear,  but 
Marion  consoled  them. 

"We  will  come  back,"  she  said.  "This  shall  be  our 
winter  resort.  We  will  come  in  the  Altair,  and  all  our 
friends  shall  be  invited  to  participate  in  the  trip,  and  you, 
Mr.  Ellsworth,  shall  have  a  special  invitation." 

"Thank  you,  Miss  Marion.  I  promise  you  I  shall  ac- 
cept of  your  kindness." 


FREDERICK    YOU  NO.  393 

"Mr.  Ellsworth,"  said  Fred,  "it  is  Febniary  21,  1883, 
to-day.  Does  that  date  bring  up  any  vivid  recollections 
in  your  mind?" 

"Yes,  my  friend,  but  I  had  not  thought  of  it  before.  It 
was  just  two  years  ago  to-day  that  we  were  thrown  upon 
yonder  receding  coast." 

"And  let  us  thank  God  that  we  have  been  favored 
as  we  have!"  exclaimed  Fred. 

In  three  hours  after  leaving  the  bay  Mt.  Ellsworth  dis- 
appeared from  view,  and  Empire  Island  was  below  the 
western  horizon. 

Thirty-two  days  after  leaving  Coral  Bay,  or  March 
22d,  the  smoke-laden  air  which  constantly  hangs  over 
New  York  City  was  sighted,  and  a  few  hours  later  the 
Altair  came  to  a  standstill  at  her  old  pier,  on  the  North 
River. 

It  was  a  happy  home  coming  and  the  rejoicing  of  many 
friends  at  the  successful  termination  of  the  search  for 
Frederick  Young,  but  added  to  the  pleasure  of  those 
who  had  left  the  comforts  of  home  to  carry  it  out. 

The  yacht  arrived  at  2.25  p.  m.,  and  on  the  Syracuse 
Limited  Express,  which  runs  on  the  Delaware,  Lacka- 
wanna and  Western  Railroad,  and  leaves  New  York  at 
3.05  P.  M.,  might  have  been  found  Mr.  Samuel  P.  Ells- 
worth. This  gentleman  had  made  remarkably  close  con- 
nections. He  was  hastening  to  his  family  in  Water- 
town  with  all  the  speed  that  a  modem  locomotive  was 
capable  of  developing.  He  had  not  seen  his  wife  and 
little  daughter  for  many  years,  and,  as  he  afterwards 
wrote  Fred,  he  was  received  with  open  arms,  and  as  one 
returned  from  the  dead,  for  his  kind  wife  had  long 
mourned  him  as  having  left  the  uncertain  vicissitudes  of 
this  earthly  existence  amid  the  waves  of  the  South 
Pacific. 

The  Altair's  return  was  soon  noised  abroad,  and  for 
the  balance  of  the  day  the  Young  and  Stillman  mansions 
were  besieged  with  visitors,  and  sincere  congratulations 


394  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

were  received  from  all  parts  of  the  city.  Both  families 
were  popular  in  the  metropolis,  and  the  wreck  of  the 
Polynesia  and  the  departure  of  Mr.  Young  in  search  of 
Fred  had  excited  much  comment  from  the  press,  but  it 
was,  at  the  time,  generally  thought  that  the  search  would 
be  a  complete  failure.  These  events  had  been  nearly 
forgotten  during  the  whirl  of  a  city  life,  but  now  they 
were  renewed  with  much  vigor,  and  many  reporters,  re- 
presenting the  leading  New  York  papers,  called  on  the 
Youngs  and  Stillmans  on  that  happy  afternoon.  The 
avaricious  news  gatherers  were  given  the  whole  story, 
and  one  reporter  tried  to  outdo  the  other  in  putting' 
stenographic  characters  on  paper.  Sheet  after  sheet  of 
copy  was  sent  to  the  respective  offices,  and  before  the 
incidents  of  the  search  had  been  half  told,  the  first  part 
of  the  story  had  been  set  up  in  type. 

Lightning-like  sketching  artists  were  on  hand,  and 
everything  that  could  be  made  into  a  picture  bearing  on 
the  subject  was  put  oai  the  Whatman's  sketching  pads 
with  wonderful  accuracy  and  rapidity. 

As  Mr.  Young  unfolded  his  tale,  more  and  more  at- 
tention was  paid  to  Prince,  and  surely  a  dozen  sketches 
of  that  intelligent  animal  were  dispatched  to  the  printing 
establishments. 

When  bells,  whistles  and  gongs  combined  in  an- 
nouncing that  6  o'clock  bad  come  and  that  the  toilers 
were  at  liberty  to  return  to  their  homes,  newsboys  com- 
menced to  appear  on  the  corners  with  the  evening  edi- 
tions of  the  "New  York  journals,  and  these  venders  of 
news  tried  to  out-shout  each  other  in  telling  what  their 
various  papers  contained  in  the  line  of  important,  news. 

"All  about  the  return  of  the  Altair;  the  resue  of  Fredi- 
erick  Young;  his  adventures  in  southern  seas!"  one 
little  urchin  shouted. 

"Latest  edition!  All  about  Frederick  Young's  return 
and  his  two  years'  exile  on  an  unknown  South  Pacific 


FREDERICK   YOUNO.  395 

island!  The  wonderful  instinct  of  his  dog  Prince!" 
another  screamed  at  the  lop  of  his  voice. 

And  thus  they  continued  in  an  unceasing  din  until 
late  in  the  evening,  when  everybody  had  heard  about  the 
great  event  of  the  day — the  return  of  the  Altair  and 
Frederick  Young. 

Public  curiosity,  as  usual,  was  soon  satisfied,  and  in 
a  few  days  the  Youngs  and  Stillmans  were  allowed  to  be 
quiet  and  undisturbed,  which  fact  pleased  them  very  much. 
It  was  not  until  the  public  inquisitiveness  and  excitement 
had  abated  that  the  arrivals  from  southern  seas  could 
enjoy  a  cozy  home  life,  and  then  perhaps  none  could 
better  appreciate  the  significance  of  "sweet  home"  than 
they. 

On  the  first  of  the  following  May,  which  was  Tuesday, 
two  important  events  transpired  in  the  Young  and  Still- 
man  families.  First,  a  wedding,  to  which  particular 
friends  and  relatives  only  were  invited,  took  place  at  the 
fashionable  up-town  residence  of  Mr.  Allen  E.  Stillman, 
and  the  reader,  no  doubt,  has  surmised  that  Marion  and 
Fred  were  the  contracting  parties.  It  was  a  happy  and 
brilliant  gathering,  and  let  us  wish  the  participants  a  long 
and  a  joyful  life  to  atone  for  the  misfortunes  of  their 
past. 

The  second  event  on  that  day  was  the  transfer  of  the 
entire  interest  of  William  C.  Young,  in  the  firm  of 
Young,  Clark  &  Co.,  to  his  son  Frederick,  and  thus,  as 
Mr.  Young  said,  the  long  established  firm  name  would 
be  perpetuated  and  no  change  would  be  necessary. 

Robert  Clark  had  not  been  seen  in  New  York  since 
the  Altair  arrived.  He  suddenly  and  mysteriously  dis- 
appeared several  weeks  before  that  time  and  n6  one 
seemed  to  know  where  he  had  gone.  On  the  7th  of 
January,  1884,  however,  the  mystery  was  explained,  but 
in  a  painful  way  to  his  parents.  That  day  Mr.  Clark 
received  a  cable  message  from  Europe.  It  stated  that 
Robert  was  dead,  and  it  was  a  painful  fact  that  the  mes- 


396  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

sage  came  from  that  disg^ceful  but  beautiful  town 
known  as  Monte  Carlo,  the  greatest  gambling  resort  in 
the  world.  Later  advices  explained  that  Robert  had 
gambled,  first  with  success,  then  ill-luck  followed  and 
finally  he  lost  all  the  money  he  ha<i.  Then  he  followed 
in  the  footsteps  of  many  that  had  gone  before  him;  he 
retired  to  his  room  and  blew  out  his  brains.  Thus  end- 
ed the  villainous  career  of  Robert  Clark. 

About  a  month  later,  which  was  a  clear,  frosty  Febru- 
ary morning,  as  Fred  was  busy  in  his  private  office,  a 
card  was  brought  in.  It  bore  the  name,  "A.  C.  Slocum;" 
nothing  more, 

"A  strange  name  to  me,"  said  Fred,  holding  the  paste- 
board in  his  hand.  "You  may  show  the  gentleman  in," 
he  said  to  the  office  boy,  after  a  moment's  meditation. 

A  few  seconds  later  a  dark,  slim  man,  with  a  wiry  mus- 
tache and  piercing  black  eyes,  entered,  and  by  invitation 
took  a  seat  opposite  Fred. 

"Mr.  Young,"  the  stranger  began,  "you  during  the 
past  three  years  have  passed  through  an  eventful  period 
of  existence,"  and  then  the  speaker  paused  and'  fixed  his 
piercing  glance  on  Fred. 

"Well,  I  am  aware  of  that." 

"And  you  think  an  accident  was  the  cause  of  your 
misfortune?" 

"I  have  thought  so,  certainly,  and  yet  it  was  a  myster- 
ious aflfair;  one  that  has  not  been  satisfactorily  accounted 
for,"  said  Fred,  thoughtfully. 

"There  are,  at  least,  two  men  who  can  explain  just  how 
the  Polynesia  was  lost.  That  is,  there  were;  one  is  dead 
now;  the  other  one  sits  before  you,"  and  so  saying  the 
stranger  fixed  his  penetrating  gaze  on  Fred  again. 

"'V\'Tiat!     Do  you  mean  to  intimate  that  you  know 
what^caused  the  Polynesia  to  sink?" 

"Tlist  is  what  I  said." 

"Who  are  you?  if  I  may  ask;  you  are  a  stranger  to 
me." 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  397 

**A.  C.  Slocum,  private  detective,"  said  the  caller, 
coolly  lighting  a  cigar  and  blowing  spiral  clouds  of 
blue  smoke  toward  the  ceiling. 

"And  you  have  come  to  tell  me  what  you  know  of  the 
unfortunate  affair?"  said  Fred,  with  some  signs  of  ex- 
citement and  impatience. 

"Exactly." 

"Pray  do  not  keep  me  in  suspense  then." 

"Very  well.  You  were  single  when  you  went  to  Mel- 
bourne?" 

"Yes." 

"But  you  were  paying  attentions  to  Miss  Marion  Still- 
man  at  that  time?"' 

"Yes,  she  is  my  wife  now." 

"At  that  time  you  had  a  rival ;  there  was  another  man 
who  persisted  in  keeping  Miss  Stillman's  company." 

"To  whom  do  you  refer?" 

"To  Robert  Clark." 

"Ah,  yes!     But  how  do  you  know  so  much?" 

"Have  patience,  my  friend,  and  you  shall  know  all. 
But  to  continue,  Robert  Clark  was  your  rival?" 

"He  tried  to  be.' 

"Very  good,  and  he  had  a  motive  for  getting  you  out 
of  the  way." 

"What  do  you  mean?" 

"I  mean,  Mr.  Young,  that  Robert  Clark  sent  tbe  Poly- 
nesia to  the  bottom  of  the  Pacific  with  the  one  villainous 
purpose  of  ending  your  earthly  career." 

"Oh,  impossible!  Robert  Clark  could  not  have  been 
on  that  ship,"  said  Fred  with  muoh  emphasis. 

"He  was  not  on  the  ship,  but  his  infernal  machine  and 
a  lot  of  dynamite  were  in  the  hold,  and  the  former  was 
made  to  explode  the  latter  when  the  Polynesia  was  iq  mid- 
ocean."  ^ 

"How  do  you  know  that?" 

"I  will  tell  you  the  whole  story:  While  you  were  in 
Melbourne  Robert  Clark  went  abroad.     He  went  to  Eu- 


398  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

rope  and  from  there  to  Africa.  He  wrote  home  from 
Egypt  that  he  was  going  into  the  interior  and  that  he 
might  not  be  heard  from  for  sometime.  He  had  no 
such  intentions;  it  was  done  simply  for  a  bhnd.  He 
went  to  AustraHa  in  disguise  and  under  an  assumed 
name.  There  he  purchased  ingredients  for  compound- 
ing dynamite,  and  he  made  a  shipment  of  goods  on  the 
Polynesia  and  they  were  consigned  to  a  firm  in  Lima, 
which  I  have  since  learned  had  no  existence.  Taking 
these  facts  into  consideration,  what  would  the  natural 
inference  be?" 

"They  certainly  look  suspicious,  but  I  cannot  think 
that  Robert  Clark  would  stoop  to  such  a  dastardly  deed. 
It  was  not  my  life  alone,  but  the  lives  of  all  on  board  that 
were  at  stake." 

"True,  but  you  evidently  did  not  know  what  a  villain- 
ous heart  beat  within  the  breast  of  your  rival.  What  is 
more,  we  have  proved  him  to  be  a  thief.  When  Robert 
Clark  was  in  England  he  stole  $20,000  worth  of  diamonds 
from  Lady  Trevor,  and  it  was  through  that  aflfair  that  I 
got  a  clue  that  Clark  knew  something  about  the  loss  of 
the  Polynesia.  As  a  big  reward  was  offered  by  the  Aus- 
tralian Steamship  Co.,  I  went  to  work  on  the  case 

Here  the  detective  told  Fred  all  about  the  loss  of  the 
diamonds  and  of  the  interview  which  he  overheard  be- 
tween Robert  and  his  mother.  This  part  of  the  narrative 
is  already  known  to  the  reader. 

"So  you  did  not  find  the  diamonds  when  Robert  ar- 
rived in  New  York?"   asked  Fred. 

"No,  he  was  too  smart  for  the  English  detectives.  It 
seems  that  he  pawned  the  gems  the  morning  after  they 
were  stolen,  at  a  shop  where  they  do  not  hesitate  to  buy 
stolen  goods,  and  afterwards  they  were  recovered.  The 
pawnbroker  had  to  stand  the  loss,  but  I  do  not  imagine 
that  he  paid  more  than  one-fourth  of  what  the  diamonds 
were  worth." 

"Now,  if  Robert  was  so  careful  to  cover  up  his  tracks. 


FREDERICK   YOUNQ.  399 

how  did  you  manage  to  trace  him  and  learn  of  his  ac- 
tions?" asked  Fred. 

**I  went  to  Egypt  and  to  the  very  hotel  where  he  staid, 
and  I  located  him  on  the  hotel  register,  then  I  sought  the 
proprietor  and  learned  that  Robert  had  departed  amid 
suspicion,  and  it  was  known  by  one  of  the  porters  that 
he  changed  his  name  when  he  took  passage  on  the  steam- 
s'hip  for  Australia.  I  learned  that  he  assumed  the  name, 
Oscar  E.  Richards,  and  after  that  I  had  no  trouble  in 
tracing  him  to  Melbourne.  After  many  months'  of  hard 
work  I  was  satisfied  that  Robert  Clark  wrecked  the  Poly- 
nesia, and  so  I  came  back  to  this  city.  I  then  learned 
that  my  man  was  also  wanted  in  England  for  the  dia- 
mond robbery,  so  I  procured  a  warrant  for  his  arrest,  but 
before  I  could  serve  it  he  had  taken  alarm  and  fled  to 
France,  I  follow^ed  him,  and  the  night  he  committed 
suicide  I  arrived  at  the  Casino  at  Monte  Carlo,  but  too 
late  for  justice;  the  culprit  had  gone  before  his  Maker. 
Let  us  hope  that  the  Omnipotent  will  have  mercy  on  his 
miserable  soul!" 

"It  is  well  that  he  died,  for  he  might  have  committed 
worse  deeds  and  brought  further  disgrace  on  his  kind 
and  respected  parents  had  he  lived,"  said  Fred  sadly. 

"He  surely  would  have  been  led  from  bad  to  worse." 

"As  it  is,  I  harbor  no  ill-feeling  against  the  poor  fel- 
low, for  as  it  happened  his  plot  failed.  Now,  Mr.  Slo- 
cum,  I  have  a  favor  to  ask  of  you." 

"Name  it,"  said  the  detective. 

"It  will  not  do  you  any  good  to  make  your  discovery 
known  to  the  world?" 

"No,  for  I  cannot  hope  to  get  the  reward  now  that  my 
man  is  dead." 

"Then,  my  friend,  will  you  keep  what  you  have  learned 
a  secret,  so  that  it  will  never  reach  the  ears  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Clark?' 

"I  will." 

"Thank  you,  sir,"  and  Fred  grasped  the  detective  by 


400  FREDERICK    YOUNG. 

the  hand.  "Now,  Mr.  Slocum,  I  want  you  to  make  a 
written  detailed  statement  of  what  you  have  told  me  this 
morning,  have  it  duly  signed,  witnessed,  and  sworn,  and 
then  bring  it  to  me.  I  will  have  a  check  ready  that  will 
pay  you  well  for  your  trouble." 

"Very  well,  Mr„  Young;  I  will  comply  with  your 
wish." 

The  detective  soon  departed  and  Fred  was  left  to 
meditate  on  what  to  him  had  been  an  exceedingly  pain- 
ful revelation. 

Marion  was  greatly  afifected  and  surprised  to  learn  that 
Robert  Clark  had  been  the  cause  of  all  her  trouble  and 
sorrow,  but  she,  in  accord  with  Fred,  forgave  the  villain 
for  his  misdeeds. 

As  the  years  went  by  happiness  and  prosperity  came 
to  Marion  and  Fred,  and  their  home  life  was  sunny  and 
pleasant.  There  was  one  member  of  their  household 
that  was  studiously  cared  for  with  loving  attention.  It 
is  perihaps  needless  to  say  that  this  was  Prince.  If  it  had 
not  been  for  him  perhaps  this  happiness  would  have 
never  come. 

Mr.  Ellsworth  often  came  down  from  his  home  in 
northern  New  York  to  pay  Fred  and  his  charming  wife 
a  visit,  and  the  scientist  frequently  admitted  that  he  came 
partly  to  see  his  savior,  the  noble  St.  Bernard. 

The  old  gentleman  did  not  abandon  his  scientific  pur- 
suits as  the  years  went  by.  One  day  Fred  received  a  let- 
ter from  him  which  advanced  a  new  idea ;  that  is,  it  was 
new  to  Fred,  and  the  scientist  thought  it  was  new  to  the 
world.     In  this  leter  Mr.  Ellsworth  wrote: 

"Hitherto  astronomers  have  experienced  exceedingly 
great  difficulty  in  measuring  the  distances  of  the  remote 
heavenly  bodies  from  our  system.  The  difficulty  is  due 
to  the  very  small  obtainable  parallax  of  even  the  nearer 
bodies,  and  the  great  imperfection  of  even  our  most 
modern  instruments.  My  idea  is  to  get  a  base  of  almost 
any  length,  so  that  a  pronounced  parallax  of  any  star, 


FREDERICK    YOUNG.  401 

no  matter  how  small  or  how  remote  it  may  be,  providing 
it  is  visible  to  the  eye,  may  be  obtained.  Now,  it  has 
been  calculated  that  our  system  is  moving  through  space 
at  the  rate  of  five  miles  a  second  and  on  a  perfect  Une, 
My  idea  is  to  obtain  the  exact  velocity,  then  to  use 
the  distance  that  our  system  travels  in  a  given  time  as  the 
base  line  for  obtaining  a  parallax.  Allowances  and  cor- 
rections can  be  made  for  the  earth's  motions  around  the 
sun,  and  by  this  method  I  think  a  new  epoch  of  astro- 
nomical progression  will  be  opened  up  to  our  understand- 
ing. I  will  tell  you  more  about  this  important  matter 
when  I  see  you." 

Marion  smiled  when  her  husband  read  Mr.  Ellsworth's 
letter  to  her,  but  then  it  was  only  because  the  scientist 
was  so  eccentric.  She  knew  that  he  was  much  wiser 
than  they,  and  that  it  was  his  knowledge  of  scientific 
things  that  had  caused  the  correct  latitude  and  longitude 
to  be  inscribed  on  the  plank  which  guided  the  Altair  to 
Empire  Island.  Yes,  these  young  people  owed  much 
to  the  scientist,  and  they  respected  and  admired  his 
thoughtful  mind  and  kindly  nature. 

Fred  intends,  when  he  can  spare  the  time  from  his 
business,  to  take  Marion  and  his  friends,  especially  Mr. 
Ellsworth,  on  a  sea-cruise  in  the  Altair  for  the  sake  of 
old  times,  and  it  is  not  improbable  that  they  will  again 
visit  the  coral-bound  shores  of  Empire  Island. 


THE  END. 


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